richardhandy – Page 121 – Astronomy Sketch of the Day

Ancient Crater Messala

Messala and environs
By Frank McCabe

Clear windless sky during the day and at night with temperatures just above the
freezing point of water, these are ideal weather conditions in winter for the
Midwestern USA. The waning gibbous moon was bright and high at midnight following
Mars across the celestial hemisphere. Through my 10” telescope I zeroed in on the
region north of Mare Crisium. I then turned on the drive platform and began
sketching the region of the terminator centered on ancient pre-Nectarian age
crater Messala (126 km.). This walled plain crater in the waning sunlight was
showing off its rubble covered irregular floor and battered walls. Although the
seeing was not the best, which stopped me from sketching Mars, this region of the
lunar northwest was putting on a good show. The floor in addition to being lava
covered, irregular and dark, appears slightly convex or domed. To the southwest
large much younger crater Geminus ( 88 km.) with its central peak just beyond the
shadowed floor was showing
its greater depth and terraced walls. Bernoulli (50 km.) closer to the terminator
is filled with shadow too. Touching Messala to the north is Schumacher (63 km.)
with its dark smooth floor and beyond the apron of this crater northward is ancient
Lacus Temporis (Lake of Time). To the southwest of Lacus Temporis are the ancient
craters Shuckburgh (41 km.) and then Hooke (37 km.).

Sketching:

For this sketch I used: black Strathmore 400 Artagain paper, 12”x 9”, white and
black Conte’pastel pencils and a blending stump. Brightness was slightly decreased
after scanning.

Telescope: 10 inch f/5.7 Dobsonian and 9mm eyepiece 161x
Date: 12-26-2007 5:30-7:00 UT
Temperature: 0°C (32°F)
clear, calm
Seeing: Antoniadi III
Co longitude: 113.7°
Lunation: 16.6 days
Illumination: 93.3 %

No Averted Imagination Required

Galaxy NGC 2903
By Wade V. Corbei

Finally after what seemed like forever and a day, I started to digitize some sketches from earlier this month.

NGC 2903 is a nice looking Spiral Galaxy found in the constellation Leo…a constellation that holds many great galaxies; and NGC 2903 is no exception. This is a fairly large, bright galaxy that shows some structure of the arms and a bright core.

Unlike many fainter galaxies, NGC 2903 is easily spotted and observed without averted vision…but averted vision will allow for some finer details to emerge. Surrounded by a fairly rich starfield, NGC 2903 is a must-see for those looking for galaxies that present themselves as more than a faint fuzzy in the EP.

Rugged, Majestic, and Arcuate

The Montes Apenninus
By Eric Graff

Lunar Mountain Range

Parks Astrolight EQ6 * 6″ f/6 Newtonian Reflector

6mm Parks Kellner + 4x Barlow * 600x, ~4′ Field of View

19 October 2007 * 01:35-03:50 UT

The largest lunar mountain range; the majestic Montes Apenninus extend 600
kilometers around the south preceding (sp) rim of Mare Imbrium. The highest peaks
exceed 5000 meters. The Apollo 15 mission landed at the foot of this range.

This observation shows the north-preceding (np) end of this range extending from the
lunar terminator at the first quarter phase (7-day-old moon). The prominent crater
near the center of the field of view is 22 kilometer-wide Conon, noted for its sharp
rim. Prominent peaks of the range shown here include Mons Ampère (near the sf edge
of the field of view), Mons Huygens (5600 m), Mons Bradley (5000 m, very prominent,
following Conon), an apparently nameless peak north of Conon, and finally Mons
Hadley Delta and Mons Hadley (4500 m) at the np end of the range, which terminates
in Promontorium Fresnel.

An extensive range of foothills precedes the Apennines, while the following side
drops precipitously toward the floor of Mare Imbrium. A series of six small,
elongated hills runs parallel to the following side of the range. Many of the
foothills on the gently-sloping preceding side are arranged in gently curving
parallel chains sweeping southward from the higher slopes, particularly in the area
south of Conon. This “curious” uniformity of orientation is likely the result of
shock fractures induced by the Imbrium asteroid impact.

Deep in shadow, at the nf edge of the field of view are the walls of Archimedes;
Autolycus rests on the northern edge of the field, also heavily shadowed.

Hats off for this Sombrero

The Sombrero Galaxy
By Michael Vlasov

Messier 104, The Sombrero Galaxy

The Sombrero Galaxy is 50,000 light years across and 28 million light years away is about 50,000 Light years in diameter. A large and dusty spiral, it lies on the southern boundries of the Virgo Cluster of Galaxies. Deep imaging of M104 shows it to be surrounded by a halo of dust and gas extending up to 7-10 galactic diameters from the galaxy’s center.

A Solar Christmas

A Christmas Day solar collage
By Erika Rix

2007 12 25

Solar

Erika Rix

PCW Memorial Observatory

Lat 40.01, Long -81.56

It’s been awhile since I’ve been able to observe, but I was fortunate today to get
out behind the Maxscope to soak up a bit of Sun in the observatory. Even with the
low altitude of the Sun at 26.5 degrees, the winter is still my favorite time of
year for solar observing.

In the ENE region just inside the limb was a short, but thickened filament visibly
reaching out beyond the limb with two hairline branches, forming an intricate
network of prominences. At lower magnification, this filament looked like two
separate sections. Increasing magnification from 19x to 57x, the outer portion of
this filament looked like an elongated “X” with hair-like branches connecting to the
inner filament that swooped to the north. The prominences consisted of two
brighter, almost “A” shaped areas with several very faint, wispy lines reaching out
to each other as well as other areas of the limb edge.

Adjusting the outer Etalon, I observed a network of hairline fibrils across the disk
that, along with spicules, made a beautiful show of dark mottling across the
Chromospheric network. There was an area of plage to the NE quadrant of the solar
disk. It was separated into two sections, at times looking like three, with a few
very tiny dark dots around it. I didn’t get out my white light filter for
cross-reference, so am not sure if these dark dots were actually pores.

Reaching further NNW, were more filaments, much thinner than the NE filament, but a
little more obvious than fibrils. And then off the limb was a very bright prominence
(at the bottom left of the sketch) that at first glance looked like a pair of cat
ears peeking over the limb. The peaks of it first appeared to be swaying to the
East, but then forty-five minutes later, the two peaks turned toward each other.
Bumping up the magnification allowed me to see the amazing intricate structure of
this prominence.

To the WNW, a tiny little round prominence formed. It was very bright and dense.
Over the observation period, it reached out in a spraying fashion. I thought this
one would change faster or maybe even break off or collapse before I called it a
day. But the prominence stayed the same, only growing a few more tiny fingers off
the limb around it.

There was only one other significant prominence, located to the SE, and several
spicules reaching out from the limb.

The sketch was done on black Strathmore Artagain paper and a combination of white
Conte’ and Prang pencils, sharpened piece of black charcoal, and a white Conte’
crayon. I sprayed it with a fixative afterwards.

Post processing after scanning involved -24 lightness, +15 contrast and then just
cropping and moving the sketches around for the finished collage.

Expansive Visitation

Comet 17/P Holmes sketch 2
By Leonor Ana Hernandez

Hello friends!

This is my vision of this wonderfull comet, I have spent several nights
watching it an thinking: ” Oh! how beautifu!”
I take my graphite pencil and draw it in white paper two times with
different optics.

Comet 17/P Holmes sketch 2
By Leonor Ana Hernandez

The big one was with a TMB Refractor 20cm and 2010 F. and the smaller one
with a binocular 12 x 80. The night was esplendid, the place was located in
La Hita Observatory in Toledo (http://www.lahita.arrakis.es/). With
binocular I could see an halo around the comet, very very pale but visible.
With the telescope was possible to see stars through the comet.

I hope you enjoy them.

Leonor

A Tranquil and Serene Tapestry

Mare Serenitatis and Mare Tranquillitatis
By Giorgio Bonacorsi

Hello, my name is Giorgio Bonacorsi, I live in little town named Pergola, in Marche, center Italy. My night sky is good, I live near mountain Catria(1702m). My observation site are at 3-4 minutes from home and are at 400-500 m of altitude. I go there for my sketches of galaxy and other object of deep sky,but also behind my home I have a good sky, principally for Moon, planets and comets. My instruments are: Newtonian telescope 15cm 750f, acromatic80/1000, maksutov-cassegrain 110/1035, 16×80 binocular.

“Like M42 on steroids!”

The Eta Carina Nebula
By Rob Esson

10B Graphite pencil on white sketch paper with blending stump. 18in f/4.5 Obsession
Dob with 17mm Nagler, giving a 0.7 degree field of view and magnification of 121x.
Sketched at the Deepest South Texas Star Party held at the Warrumbungles Mountain
Lodge in New South Wales, Australia on March 22, 2007.

I thought that I would follow up Jeremy Perez’ drawing of the Eta Carinae region
with binoculars (11/29/07) with a more detailed telescopic view. The Eta Carinae
region of nebulosity goes on – seemingly – for ever. This is merely a sketch around
the middle, and due to clouds coming in, is not as detailed as I might have liked if
I had had more time. The ‘blob’ about 2/3rds of the way towards about 12:30 on the
sketch is the Eta Carinae homunculus. Words are difficult to find to describe this
sight: it is probably the most impressive area in the sky. Although this sketch was
made using a Dob, binoculars or a wide field telescope are needed to take in the
nebula in its entirety. The Hubble pictures are no doubt fun to look at with all
their false colors, but the visual effect through the telescope, when the photons
are extinguishing on your own retinas as opposed to a ccd, is one of absolute
wonder: there are just numerous areas crying out to be examined in detail, like M42
on steroids!

Rob Esson, Kansas City MO

Shadow of the Goddess

The transit of Venus June 4th, 2007
By Michael Rosolina

While listening to the McDonald Observatory’s StarDate, I was surprised to hear that
this week marks the 125th anniversary of the 1882 transit of Venus. In my mind I
was transported back to June, 2004 eagerly anticipating the first Venus transit
since 1882. No one living at that time had ever seen such an event.

The transit would be nearing its end when the Sun rose at my location so I set up my
small, portable Astroscan telescope equipped with a homemade white light filter on
the mountaintop behind my home. I wanted my wife to see this rare event too, so I
lured her out by saying I needed her to watch my back for bears (not entirely
untrue–it was mating season and the black bears were very active).

As the Sun rose, we were completely enveloped in a cloud but soon the mist thinned
and we could see the small black dot against the solar disk with the unaided eye.
As conditions improved, we employed filters on the scope and on a pair of 10×50
binoculars to track the progress of Venus towards the Sun’s limb.

During egress, I was fortunate to detect the aureole created by the planet’s
atmosphere. This halo was first seen during the 1761 transit by Russian scientist
Mikhail Lomonosov, who rightly concluded that Venus had an atmosphere. The egress
created some interesting contrast effects which I have tried to render as I saw
them.

I later discovered that there was indeed a small sunspot group near the Sun’s
central meridian, but I could not see it because of the poor transparency.

The sketch was done in the field with 2B and HB graphite pencils on Strathmore
paper. I used a 4 inch template for the Sun and a penny to make the template for
the inset.

Seeing the transit was a peak experience for me (my wife was glued to the binoculars
through the whole thing, too). It was also very gratifying to see how the event
brought the global amateur astronomy community together as we shared sketches and
images via the Internet.

The next Transit of Venus will be June 6th, 2012. Clear skies to all in 2012–there
won’t be another transit for over a hundred years.

Ecliptical Obliquity

Lunar crater Albategnius
By Dale Holt

I awoke not particularly early at around 6am on Saturday December 1st, well it is
the weekend! I noted a fine gibbous Moon high in the South West from the bedroom
window. Hmm I haven’t made a Lunar sketch for a while, so out I went to the
observatory with my brew of tea and spent a while scanning the terminator for a
likely subject.

I picked out Albategnius. This is an ancient lunar impact crater 129km wide and
4.4km deep located in the central highlands. It is named after the Arabic Prince
and astronomer Al-Battani. The level interior forms a “walled plain”, surrounded
by the high, terraced rim. The outer wall is somewhat hexagon-shaped, and has been
heavily eroded with impacts, valleys and landslips. It attains a height above
4,000 meters along the northeast face. The rim is broken in the southwest by the
smaller crater Klein 44km wide and 1.5km deep.

The third prominent crater featured in my drawing is Halley to the North East of
Albategnius spanning 36km at a depth of 2.5km.

Telescope 14” F5 Newtonian reflector
Denk binoviewer with 2.5x nosepiece
x2 Celestron Axiom 23mm eyepieces giving 193x

Drawing on Black A5 Daler Rowney artist paper using Derwent pastel and water
colour pencils, conte sticks, black ink and blending stumps.