Transit of International Space Station over Technopark, Thiruvananthapuram

Yesterday I got a chance to capture the transit of International Space Station. The iridium flare was too faint due to the light pollution in the foreground.

In the foreground, you can see the iconic water tank of Technopark, Thiruvananthapuram – the largest IT hub in INDIA.

Here are more specs regarding the transit,

Date	Visible	Max Height*	Appears	Disappears
Wed Jan 15, 6:52 PM	6 min	62°	10° above SSW	11° above NE

Blood Moon from Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple, Thiruvananthapuram

Blood Moon is sometimes used to describe a Total Lunar Eclipse. When the Earth casts its shadow on a Full Moon and eclipses it, the Moon may get a red glow.

Below is a composite photograph by me, which shows how a Blood Moon will look like when viewed from Kerala, Southern State of INDIA.

The image is taken in front of The World's Richest Temple Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temeple, Thiruvananthapuram Kerala. 

In recent years, the term Blood Moon has been frequently used to refer to total lunar eclipses. Some sources suggest that the term stems from the Bible. Christian pastors Mark Blitz and John Hagee claim that the eclipses of the 2014-2015 lunar tetrad fulfill a Biblical prophecy of forthcoming difficult and trying times.

Astronomers do not use Blood Moon as a scientific term. However, it is possible that the term came to describe total lunar eclipses because of the reddish color the eclipsed Moon takes on during totality. This happens because of Rayleigh scattering, the same mechanism that causes colorful sunrises and sunsets.


The full Moon of September 27/28 is a Supermoon – the Moon will be closest to the Earth. or at its perigee, as it turns into a full Moon. A rising Super Full Moon can look larger and brighter to spectators on Earth.

Total eclipses of Super Full Moons are rare. According to NASA, they have only occurred 5 times in the 1900s – in 1910, 1928, 1946, 1964 and 1982. After the September 27/ 28, 2015 Total Lunar Eclipse, a Supermoon eclipse will not happen again for another 18 years, until October 8, 2033.

This is how Blood Moon from Trivandrum will look like.

Rare sighting of International Space Station over Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, INDIA on Jan 7th 2014

Most of the readers are familiar with the International Space Station or "ISS" as it’s often referred to. But just in case you are hearing it for the first time, the ISS is a huge space station orbiting Earth that serves as an orbital laboratory, factory, testing ground and home; crew members conduct experiments from biology to astronomy, including experiments for prolonged exposure to life in space for future missions to the Moon and beyond.

One of the best things about the ISS is that you can see it with your own eyes from Earth! It’s very easy to watch the International Space Station pass over your own backyard!

As you can see the people from South India had a rare chance of seeing the International Space Station in the sky. The photo was captured during early morning precisely 5:52AM from Pattom, Thiruvananthapuram on 7th Jan 2014. You can see the ISS as a light streak in the image.

The ISS looks like an incredibly bright, fast-moving star and can be mistaken for an aircraft. However, the ISS has no flashing lights and it can be much brighter. It seemingly just glides across the sky. Short passes can last a few seconds to a few minutes and you can see the international space station slowly move into the Earth’s shadow, good bright passes will show the ISS moving across the sky from horizon to horizon.

Seeing the ISS is an incredible sight! Just remember there are people on board that fast moving point of light!

For Hi-Res : http://www.flickr.com/photos/aravind_n_c

Sky tracking International Space Station (ISS Zarya) over Thiruvananthapuram Kerala, INDIA

For the first time, I saw International Space Station (ISS ZARYA) over Thriuvananthapuram (Trivandrum), Kerala, South India, INDIA

Captured using 18mm lens with 30s exposure. It was moving so fast, as I got a moment to capture it. Next time I will do some homework and will try to get the full arc of its passage. Next is on Wednesday 1st Jan 2014. Waiting for it.

Much more enhanced image of ISS, but I have found an un identified object on the top center while doing the post processing.

Here is the processed image. It should be another satellite or a flight.

View HD image here : http://www.flickr.com/photos/aravind_n_c/11646908884/