Author: Jeremy Perez

Rewarding Quarry in Leo

Leo Triplet

M65, M66 and NGC 3628 – The Leo Triplet
Sketch and details by Wade V. Corbei

Here is a sketch from a few months back that I finally got around to digitizing. It is commonly referred to as the “Leo Triplet”, and consists of two (2) Messier objects and a NGC object: M65, M66 & NCG3628 respectively.

This was a fun find, which, up until now, I had never been able to remotely locate with my old 70mm. This past year has been full of great finds such as these (at least for me); as my observing experience with my new scope (one year old on 8-14-08 ) has just been phenomenal and beyond my expectations.

Solar Prominences – September 1, 2008

Solar Collage

Sun in H-Alpha
Sketch and details by Erika Rix

2008 September 01
solar
Erika Rix

Sketch media: black Cranford paper, white Conte’ and Prang pencils

It was a good day. I shared some solar views and was repaid with lunch!

After having walked the dogs up the road and through some fields first thing this morning, the skies were clear and I was looking forward to observing. I dragged the LXD mount outside in front of the observatory to see if the seeing improved. I didn’t set it back up inside to compare with, but I was a lot cooler, which in turn made an improved comfort level temperature wise. The downside was moving all my gear outside, putting up with a little wind, and observing on a slope. The views were worth it.

Half way through the session, my neighbor honked when she drove up the road to her house, so when I was finished with my sketches, I called her to see if she’d like to come down and have her first look at the sun through a telescope. Paul came down to join us and we had a really enjoyable time. He just came back from imaging the Sun with the Maxscope so I’m looking forward to comparing our views. His session was a few hours behind me, so I reckon there will be a few changes.

Being the thoughtful person that she is, our neighbor came back from her solar session with lunch for Paul and me.

Pythagoras, Babbage, and Anaximander

Pythagoras, Babbage, and Anaximander

Pythagoras, Babbage, and Anaximander
Sketch and details by Carlos Hernandez

I was able to make an observation of the Moon (Waxing Gibbous, 14.1 days old) on August 16, 2008 (05:00 U.T.) using my 9-inch (23-cm) F/13.5 Maksutov-Cassegrain at 248x and 344x. Several interesting features were visible along the terminator, but the northwest corner of the moon region attracted my attention. This region contained the terraced crater Pythagoras (63.5*N, 62.8*W, 81 miles (130 km) diameter), Babbage (59.5*N, 56.8*W, a walled plain measuring 90 miles (144 km) in diameter, and Anaximander (66.9*N, 51.3*W, 42 miles (68 km) diameter). The central peak of Pythagoras was formed from rebounding of the suddenly molten lunar crust during a violent impact long ago. This region appeared very complex and was difficult to render. I was unable to complete the observation as the Moon was blocked by a tree.

A digital rendering produced in Photoshop CS3.

Carlos

Southeastern Ocean of Storms

southern Oceanus Procellarum

Southern Oceanus Procellarum
Sketch and Details by Frank McCabe

Shortly after sunset I turned my telescope in the direction of the moon and was planning to sketch the crater Longomontanus. However that all changed when I spotted a ghostly, mostly buried crater in southern Oceanus Procellarum right at the terminator. For June 10, 2006 at C. Wood’s site – LPOD, you can find a photo of this region of the moon. Superimposed over this crater are a series of dorsa (ridges) known as Dorsa Euclides F. The lava in this region is not quite thick enough to cover all the evidence that this unnamed crater existed. To the east the 12 kilometer Copernician period crater surrounded by bright ejecta at the center of the sketch is Euclides. Just to the east of this crater are the Riphaeus mountains. North of the mountains you will see four of the Lansberg craters with the largest being Lansberg D (11 km.).
The two small Eratosthenian craters at the far left side of the sketch are Kuiper and Eppinger both at about 6 km. in size.
I love these views that inspire us to capture them with a sketch.

Sketching:

For this sketch I used: black Strathmore 400 Artagain paper 9”x12”, white and black Conte’ pastel pencils and a blending stump. After scanning, Brightness was decreased (-5) and contrast increased (+3) using Microsoft Office Picture Manager.

Telescope: 18 inch f/ 5 Dobsonian and 12 mm eyepiece 167x
Date: 8-12-2008, 1:35 – 3:05 UT
Temperature: 21° C (71° F)
Partly cloudy, hazy, calm
Seeing: Antoniadi II – III
Colongitude 35.8 °
Lunation 10.6 days
Illumination 78.9 %

Frank McCabe

Siberian Solar Eclipse

Solar Eclipse

Solar Eclipse
Sketch and Details by Ernest Shekolyan

That was so great event! I do not know what was more exiting in this solar eclipse – just one hour clear sky over Novosibirsk or magic view of black sun in shining coronary ring. Whole day before this short eclipse were partial or continuous clouds, but no one after the first contact! In comparison to eclipse 29 april 2006 corona was not so bright and contrast.

Draft of the sketch (pencil on white paper) was made in few minutes after end of the total phase. Then in 12 hours it was made final version of the sketch (the same pencil, but with better quality).

Ernest

Luminous Lagoon

M8

M8 – The Lagoon Nebula
Sketch and Details by Kiminori Ikebe

M8 (NGC 6523) Sgr diffuse nebula
Difficulty level 1
The Lagoon Nebula
Date of observation: 1998/05/27 03:20
Transparency/seeing/sky darkness: 3/3/4
Instruments: 32cm Dobsonian with XL21 at 70x and OIII Filter
Width of field: 0.9 degree

Complex structures are visible. There is the open cluster NGC 6530 near the center, which can be seen clearly even with the OIII filter. The brighter part of the nebula is divided into three regions. A triangular-shaped nebulosity in the southwest is the brightest with 9 Sgr (mag 6.1) shining at the center. There is a small, somewhat fainter region south of 9 Sgr. The second brightest region extend from the center to the south, which contains the open cluster NGC 6530. Between the brightest and next brightest regions lies a clear winding dark lane like a large river. The “banks of the river” is bright and a magnificent sight. At the southern end a sharp protrusion like a horn is visible. Although it is faint, the outline is sharp. North of the brightest region lies the third brightest region. It extends from the east to the west and the eastern half is bright providing a fine sight. With a close examination you can detect a faint nebulosity east of NGC 6530. It is large and looks like a very faint mist. In 10×42 binoculars, there are two bright spots side by side in the east-west direction within a narrow triangle. There is a double involving 7 Sgr at the western end of the triangle. There is a star near the center of the western part of the bright region. This star is 9 Sgr and the bright nebulosity surrounding it is clearly seen. The eastern part is rather elongated with the same orientation with NGC 6520. The globular cluster NGC 6544 is clearly seen in the southeast.

Forked Cluster

Trumpler 32

Trumpler 32
Sketch and Details by Eric Graff

Object Name: Trumpler 32
Also Known As: C1814-133, Harvard 19
Object Type: Open Cluster
Constellation: Serpens (Cauda)
Right Ascension (2000.0): 18h 17.2m
Declination (2000.0): –13° 21′
Magnitude: 12.2
Size: 4′

Date/Time: 4 July 2008 • 06:45 to 07:10 UT
Location: Oakzanita Springs (4,010 ft. elevation), San Diego Co., California, USA
Telescope: Parks Astrolight EQ6 • 6″ f/6 Newtonian Reflector
Eyepiece/Magnification: Parks 20mm Gold Series Plössl + 2x Barlow • 90x • 35′ FoV
Filters: None
Conditions: Clear, calm, 62°F
Seeing: Pickering 4-5
Transparency: NELM 6.3; TLM 14.0

Approximately ½° northwest of M16 you might notice a small delicate patch of mist strewn with faint stars. This is the open cluster known as Trumpler 32. The cluster is elongated north to south and I count about two dozen stars superimposed on a haze of fainter, unresolved members. A curious dark lane separates the southern third of the cluster from the rest of the group.