| Space

ISS Sun transit

Thilo Kranz notes:

"On Sunday, 13:38:52 CEST I took this image of the ISS as it passed across the solar disk in just 0.51 seconds. I captured the image with the help of my telescope and 1/5000 second exposure time. At this time, preparations for undocking of Space Shuttle Atlantis during its final mission, STS-132, were ongoing. You can see the still docked shuttle in the 11 o'clock position. Also, you may recognise the solar panels and the large radiators. In the full resolution version of this image, you can also see the Soyuz capsule. Close to the centre of the Sun, a group of sunspots is visible."

ISS and Shuttle transit the sun on 23/05/2010. Image: DLR.
ISS and Shuttle transit the sun on 23/05/2010. Image: DLR.

Thilo Kranz works in the Launchers Department of DLR's Space Agency in Bonn. Thanks for providing the image, Thilo! We will publish the high resolution version of the image in our Multimedia-Portal soon (Update will follow). A high resolution version of the image is available here.

By the way: On 18 May Thierry Legault and 'Bad Astronomer' Phil Plait published a similar and equally beautiful image.