Dragon 20 mins after launch with flaring of solar panels
Taken by Chris Bowden on June 3, 2017 @
Puddletown UK
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Camera Used: SONY ILCA-77M2
Exposure Time: 13/1
Aperture: f/9.0
ISO: 250
Date Taken: 2017:06:03 22:39:37
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Details:
I just saw the Dragon zoom across the sky ~ 20 mins after launch and it was INCREDIBLE!! Conditions were optimal - I watched the launch live on NASA TV, saw the 1st stage land successfully and the 2nd stage then separate the Dragon and watched the solar panels unfurl. The sky was still twilight so I knew that there'd be a good chance that we'd see it in low orbit about 20 mins after launch and lo and behold it appeared travelling fast with the sun catching not only the satellite itself, but each solar panel too! It looked like a hand glider with floodlights! I was amazed and so was my wife who I called to see.
I tried to image it, but with the sky still semi twilight I had to force a high F stop of F9 to get a 13 second exposure, so the recorded images were overly dim. In the excitement some shots were ruined as I desperately tried to follow it and failed to secure my tripod lock properly. Anyway I did capture it somewhat in 2 images before it set, but nowhere near as good as we actually saw it with our own eyes. Nevertheless the flares off the solar panels came out as faint trails either side of the satellite in the images. Best observing of a satellite I've done for some time!
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