Lorenzo Comolli's
Artificial Satellites Images

This page contains a few images of some artificial satellites.

Summary:

MIR - Russian Space Station
The MIR Space Station moves fairly quickly in the sky, so it's visible in a photo as a "line" of light. Image of October 14, 1997 taken from Tradate (VA, Italy) at 17:49 UT, 10 sec. exposure. Obtained with a common photographic camera with a fix objective (35mm f/2,8) and a Scotch Chrome 1600ISO film, mounted on a stand. This photo has been taken unfortunately in presence of the Moon, that has contributed to light the sky.
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Image of October 17, 1997 taken from Tradate (VA, Italy) at 18:04 UT, 20 sec. exposure. Obtained with a common photographic camera with a fix objective (35mm f/2,8) and a Scotch Chrome 1600ISO film, mounted on a stand. This photo has been taken unfortunately in presence of the Moon, that has contributed to light the sky.
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Image of Dicember 12, 1997 taken from Tradate (VA, Italy) at 17:01 UT, 20 sec. exposure. Obtained with a common photographic camera with a fix objective (35mm f/2,8) and a Scotch Chrome 1600ISO film, mounted on a stand. This photo has been taken unfortunately in presence of the Moon, that has contributed to light the sky.
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Image of Fubruary 13, 1998 taken from Tradate (VA, Italy) at 17:54 UT, 10 sec. exposure. Obtained with a reflex photographic camera with an objective 55mm f/4 and a Scotch Chrome 1600ISO film, mounted on a stand.
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MIR - Shuttle: the joined mission
Sometimes was possible observing a strange show: the MIR that moves together with the US Shuttle. The last of the joined missions have happened in the beginnings of June of the 1998. Particularly, the passage of June 8 at 20.45 TU was spectacular for a series of coincidences: the passage has happened to the zenith, MIR and Shuttle were been disconnected from only 4 hours and half and they resulted distant about 2 degrees. The spatial "train" had led by the Shuttle, that proceeded in front of the MIR, but it was also less bright.
 
The colors are a bit strange due to the fact that the film was developed with a big red dominant, that here is converted in a more pleasant blue. The two bodies are moving toward the lower side, first the Shuttle, less bright, and behind the MIR, brighter. Since the exposure was of 10 seconds, while the two spatial bodies were separate of 5 seconds, the traces result partially superimposed. 
Photo of June 8 1998 taken from Tradate (VA, Italy), 20:45 TU, exposure of 10 seconds. Taken with a reflex camera with a 55mm f/ 1.8 objective and EPL-400 ASA Kodak film, climbed on on an easel. 
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Also here the colors are a bit unnatural, particularly the profile of the trees that have been colored in black, while before it was of an intense red, due to an error in the development. 
Photo of June 8 1998 taken from Tradate (VA, Italy), 20:45 TU, exposure of 10 seconds. Taken with a reflex camera with a  55mm f/ 1.8 objective and a EPL-400 ASA Kodak film, climbed on on an easel. 
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Iridium
The Iridium satellites costellation is composed of 66 satellites, sometimes anybody of them reflect the solar light with one of his mirrors/antennas. It becomes visible for few seconds (max 15-20 sec.) and it could reach elevated brightness, straight the magnitude -8!! In the better situations it's about 50 times brighter than Venus!!
 
The Iridium 14 in the evening of February 6, 1998 at 18:36 UT, it had reached the magnitude -6. Image taken from Tradate (VA, Italy) with a reflex photographic camera and an objective 55mm f/4, 20sec. exposure. Film: Scotch Chrome 1600 ASA.
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Again the Iridium 14 in the evening of February 13, 1998 at 18:03 UT, it had reached the magnitude -7. Image taken from Tradate (VA, Italy) with a reflex photographic camera and an objective 55mm f/5,6, 15sec. exposure. Film: Scotch Chrome 1600 ASA.
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The Iridium 44 in the evening of February 25, 1998 at 19:04 UT, it had reached the magnitude 0. Image taken from Tradate (VA, Italy) with a reflex photographic camera and an objective 28mm f/2,8, 25sec. exposure. Film: Scotch Chrome 1600 ASA.
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The Iridium 43 in the evening of March 6, 1998 at 18:17 UT, it had reached the magnitude -5. Image taken from Tradate (VA, Italy) with a reflex photographic camera and an objective 28mm f/2,8, 15sec. exposure. Film: Scotch Chrome 1600 ASA.
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The Iridium 70 in the night of December 4, 1998 at 17:38 UT, it has reached the magnitude -4. Image taken from Tradate (VA, Italy) with a reflex photographic camera and an objective 50mm f/1,8, 20 sec. exposure. Film: Kodak PJ-800.
Note that the bright point top-right is Jupiter!
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Three Iridium satellites imaged a few days after the lanch, when they were still near: from the less bright to the brightest, they are the Iridium 85, 86, 2. They have reached a magnitude of around +1, 0, -1. Morning of November 13, 1998 at 4.17 UT. Image taken from Tradate (VA, Italy) with a reflex photographic camera and an objective 50mm closed at f/4, 1 minute exposure. Film: Kodak PJ-800.
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Another Iridium passed below the planet Jupiter the nignt of Dicember 8, 1998 at 17:24 TU. It has reached the magnitude -7! Image taken from Tradate (VA, Italy) with a reflex photographic camera and an objective 50mm closed at f/4, 20 seconds exposure. Film: Fuji SuperG800Plus.
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HTML Editing and Publishing by Lorenzo Comolli. Email me at comolli@libero.it.
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