Amateur Astronomer Images X37-B Space Plane in Orbit

By Nancy Atkinson - May 28, 2010 10:59 AM UTC | Space Exploration

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Even since

amateur astronomers picked up on the orbit

of the Air Force's secret X37-B space plane, others have been trying to capture images of the mini-space shuttle look-alike. So far, images have been just streaks or dots, but Universe Today reader Brent (a.k.a. HelloBozos) was actually able to image the plane in some detail. "This is the first I know of or have seen an actual photo taken of the X37-B Air Force Space Plane in some detail, while in orbit!" Brent said in an email. He tracked the X37-B manually with his telescope's handcontroller, and he used a CanonT1i prime focus on a 2 inch diagonal. "This image was taken on 5-26-2010 at 9:48 pm EST, Orlando, Florida, USA. It crossed from the southwest to the northeast, crossing next to Mars and headed to the handle of the Big Dipper on a 71 degree pass."

Below, Brent also captured a flare of the X37-B.

[caption id="attachment_65367" align="aligncenter" width="580" caption="Flare from the X37-B spaceplane, captured by Brent. "]

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Brent says on the colored photo, "you can make out the main wings, a rear canard, and what I dub the "Fly Swatter' solar panel."

[caption id="attachment_65368" align="aligncenter" width="551" caption="Close up version of the image of the X37-B by Brent. "]

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Brent said he tracked the X37-B from the information on

HeavensAbove.com

.

Spaceweather.com

also has tracking info, plus other images submitted by readers.

Thanks to Brent for sharing his images. Nice -- and fast -- shooting! And this isn't the first time Brent was keeping his telescope's eye out for the X37-B. He also shot the launch in good detail, even from 60 miles away. The volume is cranked on this one:

Nancy Atkinson

Nancy Atkinson

Nancy Atkinson is a space journalist and author with a passion for telling the stories of people involved in space exploration and astronomy. She is currently retired from daily writing, but worked at Universe Today for 20 years as a writer and editor. She also contributed articles to The Planetary Society, Ad Astra (National Space Society), New Scientist and many other online outlets.

Her 2019 book, "Eight Years to the Moon: The History of the Apollo Missions,” shares the untold stories of engineers and scientists who worked behind the scenes to make the Apollo program so successful, despite the daunting odds against it. Her first book “Incredible Stories From Space: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Missions Changing Our View of the Cosmos” (2016) tells the stories of 37 scientists and engineers that work on several current NASA robotic missions to explore the solar system and beyond.

Nancy is also a NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador, and through this program, she has the opportunity to share her passion of space and astronomy with children and adults through presentations and programs. Nancy's personal website is nancyatkinson.com