NASA astronaut uses homemade star tracker to take incredible deep space photo from ISS

Don Pettit captures deep space photo with homemade star tracker on ISS.

: NASA astronaut Don Pettit used a homemade star tracker to capture an incredible deep space photo from the ISS. His invention rotates the camera to counteract the ISS's rapid movement, allowing for long-exposure shots without star blur. This innovation highlights Pettit's engineering prowess, alongside his astrophotography skills. His previous inventions include the zero-G coffee cup designed in 2008.

Don Pettit, a NASA astronaut, is aboard the International Space Station (ISS) for his third mission and has successfully captured a stunning deep space photograph using a homemade star tracker. Pettit, known for his inventive spirit, designed this tool to rotate a camera in sync with the ISS's movement, compensating for its orbit speed of about 17,500 miles per hour.

The custom-built device allows Pettit to capture long-exposure images without star trails, showing an image where Earth's surface is blurred but the stars remain sharp. The result is a clear depiction of deep space, showcasing far more stars than shorter exposures can capture, an achievement that demonstrates Pettit's combined aptitude in astrophotography and engineering.

This isn't the first time Pettit's ingenuity has shone on the ISS; in 2008, he created the zero-G coffee cup, a practical invention allowing crew members to drink in a way that mimics Earth-like conditions using surface tension. His contributions continue to enhance life and work aboard the space station, blending scientific inquiry with human comfort.

AstrophotographyStar trackerspace exploration