<p>No such thing as a Nikon P9000 .... there are the P900 and P1000 model cameras, which come with a non-detachable lens, which can be zoomed to extreme focal lengths, included. These have indeed a good reputation for a viable solution for moon or even basic planetary shots, however these - being NON-interchangeable lens cameras - would be an exceptionally BAD fit for attaching them to a telescope or dedicated telephoto lens.</p>

<p>People have succeeded getting recognizable pictures of the ISS with this camera - eg <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDIPZFqfGGo" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDIPZFqfGGo</a>, though there might be significant planning and skill involved.</p>

<p>Photography-oriented telephoto lenses for DSLR/DSLM cameras of that focal length are a) rarely cheaper than a P900 if you want them to have even the resolution the P900 provides, b) be significantly harder to use - affordable ones are going to be bulky and heavy and have no image stabilization or autofocus, these would take a lot of experience in handling tripods and manual focus in the dark. There are eg cheap 650-1300 zooms available for $200ish, resolution is questionable though and all the handling difficulties I mentioned apply in full - and these are only at all useful with an interchangeable lens camera, NOT a cellphone.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-12-25T18:14:03.850Z
2019-12-25T18:19:13.033Z
2019-12-25T18:19:13.033Z
rackandboneman
<p>The biggest difficulty for taking a photo/video of the ISS through a telescope is the tracking. Not all motorized mounts are able to do such a follow. And if you follow the ISS by hand with the telescope, you will get a pretty blurry image. </p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-01-13T14:06:35.617Z
2020-01-13T14:06:35.617Z
usernumber
<p>I think you'd want a focal length of 700-1000 mm, and the cheapest way to get that would be a basic Newtonian reflector of 100 mm aperture.
Examples: Meade Polaris 114mm, Celestron PowerSeeker 114EQ, Orion SkyQuest XT4.5.
There are brackets available to mount a smartphone on any telescope.</p>

<p>Before trying to track ISS, practice acquiring easy targets such as the Moon, the Pleiades, etc.
Then use <a href="https://www.heavens-above.com/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Heavens Above</a> to predict ISS passes visible from your location.
After you collect your evidence and your hyper-skeptical acquaintance rejects it, you can still use the scope to enjoy the planets and a few dozen star clusters, nebulae, and galaxies.</p>

<p>On the other hand, maybe you don't need a telescope.
ISS is visible to the naked eye, is silent, and doesn't appear to slow down as much near the horizon as aircraft do.
Seeing it disappear as it enters Earth's shadow could be persuasive.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-12-25T02:38:01.427Z
2019-12-25T16:24:59.200Z
2019-12-25T16:24:59.200Z
Mike G
<p>Recently I entered a discussion with someone that has a relatively popular YouTube channel which says among other things that the earth is flat. I said that earth isn't flat because you can see the ISS by yourself through the telescope. I was reminded that I'd only seen it on the internet, but not actually seen it directly myself. I was told that if I buy a telescope and film by myself they will also buy one, do the experiment, and post the footage on their YouTube channel.</p>

<p>So, what's the cheapest telescope that I can buy and record with a cellphone? I've seen people using a Nikon P9000 but what matters is its lens, which is already expensive, and the camera is expensive too. Maybe it's possible to buy a cheap photography lens that has both good quality and high zoom and can be used with a cellphone?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-12-24T18:27:33.497Z
Are product recommendations on topic here?
dalearn
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-12-24T19:31:46.470Z
I think the mount and the tracking is the first, most important thing. The ISS is a moderately small object, moving fast. By comparison, the ISS should be around 2 arcseconds in size, while Jupiter is 0.4 arcseconds, and you usually can see Jupiter through regular binoculars. So if you don't have expensive tracking, gauge if your camera can resolve Jupiter, then place it in wide-angle staring mode onto the path the ISS will track on the sky, and once it's close, go nuts on those quickshots and hope you catch it.
AtmosphericPrisonEscape
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-12-25T00:16:22.183Z
@ebv Since Jupiter is ~5x as far away from the Sun as we are, its phase is never much smaller than 99%.
Mike G
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-12-26T00:50:57.533Z
It seems likely that if she thinks that existing photos and videos of the ISS are doctored, then there's not much that you can do to create a video that won't get the same claim, if the recipient even acknowledges your efforts.
notovny
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-12-26T02:08:02.340Z
I made some edits to your question to better fit the Stack Exchange format. I predict that if the flat-Earther does buy the telescope and do the experiment and post footage, they will use it to prove that the Earth is flat and the ISS is a hoax, and you'll be forever tied to it. I recommend that you walk away from flat-Earthers, rather than enable them, but it's your call.
uhoh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-12-26T02:36:20.320Z
If the youtube channel is monetized, then challenging the premises the channel is based on ("science is wrong") is challenging someone's source of income. What do you think is going to happen here?
uhoh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-12-26T04:20:03.210Z
I hope you have other long term uses for your set-up. As @uhoh stated, the youtuber is monetarily locked into keeping his beliefs.
John Canon
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-01-15T05:31:06.900Z
You won't want to record with a cell phone because they can claim that is fraudulent video. Conversely, unless you can monitor their usage of their _claimed_ scope, you can't trust what they say, either as they can just make something up and post it and you'd be none the wiser. The experiment would have to be done in person, with scopes inspectable by both parties.
The_Sympathizer
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-12-28T07:17:43.597Z
Never wrestle with a pig, you both just get dirty but the pig likes it.  -- from the dawn of time
tomc
<telescope><telescope-lens><iss>
What's the cheapest lens to buy for showing ISS to a flat earther?
PPP
# What's the cheapest lens to buy for showing ISS to a flat earther?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2019-12-24)

Recently I entered a discussion with someone that has a relatively popular YouTube channel which says among other things that the earth is flat. I said that earth isn't flat because you can see the ISS by yourself through the telescope. I was reminded that I'd only seen it on the internet, but not actually seen it directly myself. I was told that if I buy a telescope and film by myself they will also buy one, do the experiment, and post the footage on their YouTube channel.

So, what's the cheapest telescope that I can buy and record with a cellphone? I've seen people using a Nikon P9000 but what matters is its lens, which is already expensive, and the camera is expensive too. Maybe it's possible to buy a cheap photography lens that has both good quality and high zoom and can be used with a cellphone?

**Tags:** telescope, telescope-lens, iss

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Are product recommendations on topic here?  
> **username_2**: I think the mount and the tracking is the first, most important thing. The ISS is a moderately small object, moving fast. By comparison, the ISS should be around 2 arcseconds in size, while Jupiter is 0.4 arcseconds, and you usually can see Jupiter through regular binoculars. So if you don't have expensive tracking, gauge if your camera can resolve Jupiter, then place it in wide-angle staring mode onto the path the ISS will track on the sky, and once it's close, go nuts on those quickshots and hope you catch it.  
> **username_3**: @ebv Since Jupiter is ~5x as far away from the Sun as we are, its phase is never much smaller than 99%.  
> **username_4**: It seems likely that if she thinks that existing photos and videos of the ISS are doctored, then there's not much that you can do to create a video that won't get the same claim, if the recipient even acknowledges your efforts.  
> **username_5**: I made some edits to your question to better fit the Stack Exchange format. I predict that if the flat-Earther does buy the telescope and do the experiment and post footage, they will use it to prove that the Earth is flat and the ISS is a hoax, and you'll be forever tied to it. I recommend that you walk away from flat-Earthers, rather than enable them, but it's your call.  
> **username_5**: If the youtube channel is monetized, then challenging the premises the channel is based on ("science is wrong") is challenging someone's source of income. What do you think is going to happen here?  
> **username_6**: I hope you have other long term uses for your set-up. As @username_5 stated, the youtuber is monetarily locked into keeping his beliefs.  
> **username_8**: Never wrestle with a pig, you both just get dirty but the pig likes it.  -- from the dawn of time  
> **username_7**: You won't want to record with a cell phone because they can claim that is fraudulent video. Conversely, unless you can monitor their usage of their _claimed_ scope, you can't trust what they say, either as they can just make something up and post it and you'd be none the wiser. The experiment would have to be done in person, with scopes inspectable by both parties.  

---

## 3 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2019-12-25. Score: 4 | Accepted answer

I think you'd want a focal length of 700-1000 mm, and the cheapest way to get that would be a basic Newtonian reflector of 100 mm aperture.
Examples: Meade Polaris 114mm, Celestron PowerSeeker 114EQ, Orion SkyQuest XT4.5.
There are brackets available to mount a smartphone on any telescope.

Before trying to track ISS, practice acquiring easy targets such as the Moon, the Pleiades, etc.
Then use [Heavens Above](https://www.heavens-above.com/) to predict ISS passes visible from your location.
After you collect your evidence and your hyper-skeptical acquaintance rejects it, you can still use the scope to enjoy the planets and a few dozen star clusters, nebulae, and galaxies.

On the other hand, maybe you don't need a telescope.
ISS is visible to the naked eye, is silent, and doesn't appear to slow down as much near the horizon as aircraft do.
Seeing it disappear as it enters Earth's shadow could be persuasive.


---

### Answer by username_9 on 2019-12-25. Score: 3

No such thing as a Nikon P9000 .... there are the P900 and P1000 model cameras, which come with a non-detachable lens, which can be zoomed to extreme focal lengths, included. These have indeed a good reputation for a viable solution for moon or even basic planetary shots, however these - being NON-interchangeable lens cameras - would be an exceptionally BAD fit for attaching them to a telescope or dedicated telephoto lens.

People have succeeded getting recognizable pictures of the ISS with this camera - eg <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDIPZFqfGGo>, though there might be significant planning and skill involved.

Photography-oriented telephoto lenses for DSLR/DSLM cameras of that focal length are a) rarely cheaper than a P900 if you want them to have even the resolution the P900 provides, b) be significantly harder to use - affordable ones are going to be bulky and heavy and have no image stabilization or autofocus, these would take a lot of experience in handling tripods and manual focus in the dark. There are eg cheap 650-1300 zooms available for $200ish, resolution is questionable though and all the handling difficulties I mentioned apply in full - and these are only at all useful with an interchangeable lens camera, NOT a cellphone.


---

### Answer by username_10 on 2020-01-13. Score: 0

The biggest difficulty for taking a photo/video of the ISS through a telescope is the tracking. Not all motorized mounts are able to do such a follow. And if you follow the ISS by hand with the telescope, you will get a pretty blurry image.


---

