NASA captures ISS transiting Sun in stunning images (See pics)

The ISS is the farthest manned outpost of mankind and travels at an incredible speed of about five miles per second. This makes it a bit difficult to visualize from Earth even with the best telescopes. The outpost with a crew numbering six is seen best when transiting the sun. However, it is hidden by the blinding light of the sun but can be seen using a proper filter. This was how it was photographed on December 17th, 2016 from Newbury Park, California. The ISS was transiting the Sun at a speed 28,968 kilometers per hour. The picture was taken by a NASA photographer Joel Kowsky, who is a lens man.

Joel was able to capture a number of pictures which was used to create a make a single composite view of the ISS. It may look simple but is not an easy task and requires pin point accuracy and long hours of patience observation to perfect a shot of this class.

The ISS is usually perched at a height of 330 to 435 kilometers making it be barely discernable from Earth. It is also difficult to know exactly where the station is located at a particular time of the day. Hence space and stargazers use a tracker to know exactly know where the station is present at a particular time.

The year 2017 will be a challenging time for NASA. With a new President at the helm of affairs in the USA, one who is already known for his anti-science views, NASA will be expected to curtail many of its deep space ventures and face a finance crunch. Trump is also known for his anti-climate views and has threatened to put the climate deals on the back burner, NASA will also see its plans of launching weather monitoring satellites struck down.

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