Man photographs space shuttle from Earth

sun

See those two tiny specs in front of the Sun, there? The one on top is Space Shuttle Atlantis and right below it sits the Hubble Space Telescope.

Amateur astronomer Thierry Legault captured some great shots from here on Earth with his own telescope and a Canon 5D Mk II camera tricked out with a Baader solar prism, which makes the Sun look like a pleasant yellow racquetball instead of a retina-scorching ball of fire.

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There’s an extreme zoom. Tiny, eh? If you’d like to take your own photos, you’ll need the following equipment:

  • Canon 5D Mk II
  • Takahashi TOA-130 refractor telescope with 2200mm lens
  • Baader solar prism
  • Celestial Observer website at CalSky.com
More photos available on Legault’s website: Transit of Atlantis and Hubble in front of the Sun
[via Gizmodo]