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.
