Passage of the ISS with Thomas Pesquet over Algarve coast in Portugal on Saturday, may 6, 2017.
The gibbous moon had just set in the Algarvian sky in the south of Portugal, allowing the Milky Way to appear above the ocean. After having located this magnificent spot near two red sandstone arches only accessible in the day during low tide, I set up my equipment before 5:00 in the morning to wait for the passage of the International Space Station. The ambiance, at the foot of a fifty-foot high cliff, facing monoliths of about twenty meters high, eroded at the base by waves, was incredible. At that moment, the ISS emerged from the shadow of the Earth to the right of the planet Saturn in the constellation of Ophiucus before crossing our galaxy. Balanced on my rock, I pivoted the camera to capture the end of the passage of the astronaut Thomas Pesquet while the planet Venus rose in the twilight sky. Far away, the lights of Albufeira colored the horizon yellow. After a last look at the enchanting landscape, I had only to quickly put away my photo material in its waterproof bag before returning to the access stairs 400m away. A falling rock only one meter from me reminded me of the danger of the area, and it was with my feet in the water that I passed the point of no return. The tide had already been rising for an hour and a half...