Tribute to Thomas Pesquet - Opus 7
Passage of the ISS with Thomas Pesquet over Lake Annecy on Saturday, December 17, 2016. For this seventh shot of the International Space Station with the French astronaut, I chose the paragliding launch site of Planfait in Talloires. The choice was dictated by the necessity of mounting above the layer of atmospheric pollution that hung around the lower parts of the valleys at the end of the year. At 950 m high, the sky is clear and the Milky Way begins to show itself at the moment of nautical twilight. The particle layer, climbing 700 m high, is illuminated by the lights of the lakeshore communities. The Duingt peninsula is visible at the left of the image, while the powerful lights of the Menthon St. Bernard castle illuminate the sky on the right. Like a dark and enigmatic vessel, the mountain range of the Roc de Chère natural park cuts the lake in two. 400 km above, Thomas Pesquet appears in his spaceship on the horizon and crosses the sky, passing to the left of the bright star, Vega. On the left, the planet Venus shines brightly in the twilight.