ISS and Soyuz Booster
Taken by Malcolm Park on September 16, 2023 @
Prince Edward County, ON, Canada
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Details:
On September 15th, Soyuz MS-24 launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan with 2 Cosmonauts and 1 Astronaut on board, headed for the ISS. Docking occurred roughly 3 hours after liftoff.
Orbit.ing-now lists two components of the Soyuz launch in space.
One is the capsule SOYUZ-MS / 57862, and the other is SL-4 / 57863 which would be the upper stage.
On September 16, 2023 8:14pm near Picton, ON a group of Royal Astronomical Association of Canada (Kingston and Belleville Centres) amateur astronomers gathered for an annual Star Party. We anticipated the ISS transit because it was to be perfectly placed and bright, near the zenith at magnitude -3.8, just after 8:00pm. I had my camera ready for the pass. I used a Nikon D810a and 8mm fisheye lens on a star tracker, taking about 50 x 8 second exposures at iso 1250 and f/4 for the approximate 6 minute duration of the pass, which went right through the Summer Triangle, near the bright star Vega.
As the ISS approached the zenith, a second satellite was observed to be catching up and passing the ISS. It was breathtaking because it was so unexpected! We all gasped at what looked from our angle to be a near miss. Our group of amateur astronomers were all excited by what we had seen and we spent a lot of time discussing what it was. Some research today yielded the likely solution. We believe it was the upper stage of the Soyuz launched to the ISS on the 15th of September, with differences in altitude and speed between the two spacecraft making it look closer than it was. The upper stage likely has already reentered.
Photographer's website:
https://www.photopark.ca
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