[zeebee]

You would need a pretty powerful telescope to make out the shape. Photos have been taken through telescopes only because the astronomers know exactly where the craft will be and when. I don't believe it can be tracked without a lot of specially programmed computers.

To show the relative size, here is one taken of the Shuttle and the ISS while crossing the sun:

[ETL]

Photos have been taken through telescopes only because the astronomers know exactly where the craft will be and when. I don't believe it can be tracked without a lot of specially programmed computers.

Amateurs track them by manually moving the scope. I don't know if it can be done with a scope other than one with a Dobsonian mount. Dob-mounted scopes move freely in any direction.