NGC 246
The medium used: graphite pencil,
The equipment used: 8″ f/10 SCT. Eyepiece 4mm.
Date: 02-09-2000
Weather: very good conditions, clear and transparency.
Big nebula, faint, perfectly rounded and double.
Field rich in stars even inside the nebula, it looks like an open cluster
with surrounded nebula like a sly double Ring.
Leonor
Arguably one of the finest galaxies for visual observation, M51 shows some structure
with averted vision under moderately light polluted skies. The core of the captured
dwarf galaxy hanging on to the edge of a spiral arm is quite apparent and makes M51
a favorite of many observers.
This sketch was rendered on Strathmore Windpower Sketch paper with a .5mm mechanical
pencil. MGI Photosuite III was used for post processing.
Jason Aldridge
North Port, FL
Janssen at 195 kilometers in diameter is a large ancient (4 billion year old)
walled plain crater in the southeastern highlands and is not far from the lunar
limb. Relentless moonquakes and solar system debris impacts have given this crater
its old look. The floor of Janssen is covered by numerous smaller craters. Without
trying too hard I could see 20 crater including those down to a few kilometers in
diameter. The center of the crater appears to bulge higher than the worn rim. Much
of this could be debris from the large much younger impact crater Fabricius (79
km.). Fabricius is an Eratosthenian period impact crater. It clearly shows steep
sloping walls and exhibits a central mountain range that is about 11 km. long and
also a long central ridge that is more than twice that length. Geologists tell us
that much of the debris across the floor of Janssen is Nectaris impact ejecta;
fluidized where the floor is smooth and irregular boulder-like where the floor
appears tortured. But perhaps the most interesting feature here is 140 kilometer long Rimae
Janssen. This rille looking like a graben, where it cuts through the high central
region south of Fabricius. It then narrows suddenly before reaching the rim in the
relatively smooth region of the floor. Pits that are visible via high resolution
images in these narrow regions imply volcanism. There is at least one dome on the
floor of Janssen but I was not successful in spotting it in the current
illumination. Craters Janssen and Fabricius presented fascinating features to
examine during this observation.
Sketching:
For this sketch I used: black Strathmore 400 Artagain paper, 7”x11”, white and
black Conte’ pastel pencils and a blending stump. Brightness was slightly decreased after
scanning.
Telescope: 10 inch f/ 5.7 Dobsonian and 6mm eyepiece 241x
Date: 9-29-2007 6:15-7:15 UT
Temperature: 16°C (60°F)
Clear, calm
Seeing: Antoniadi III
Co longitude: 122.1°
Lunation: 17.73 days
Illumination: 91.4 %
Frank McCabe
2007 August 11, 0450 UT
Erika Rix
PCW Memorial Observatory
Zanesville, Ohio USA
NCG 6503
An Orion ED80 was used on an LXD75 mount, all of which were on antivibration pads in
the observatory. The eyepiece was a Zhumell 21-7mm zoom and a WO dielectric
diagonal.
This sketch was done with Rite in the Rain paper, a number 2 and 0.3mm as well as
0.5mm mechanical pencils
“She appears like a tart that my cooke made me last weeke, here a vaine of bright
stuffe, and there of darke, and so confusedlie all over. I must confess I can see
none of this without my cylinder”.
These were the honest words of William Lower an amateur astronomer written upon
observing the Moon with his new “perspective cylinder” in 1608.
In the history of Man Kind this is but a heart beat in time but how the telescope
has evolved from that primitive Galilean spy glass that only the privileged few
could ever hope to own! Now even the most modest instrument delivers views of the
heavens and Moon in particular that our astronomical forefathers could only have
dreamt of!
One thing that hasn’t changed for me and countless others is the “confusedlie” of
the Moon. It is an awe-inspiring yet bewildering sight to all but the most
experienced lunar observer. I myself am very much a Lunar apprentice and each time
I fly over the terminator with my telescope and settle upon “she who takes my
heart” I am learning my way around not only the shadows, bright ridges and crater
rims but through my post sketch research feature names, dimensions and geological
composition.
On the late evening my visual voyage of 250,000 miles at the eyepieces of my
binoviewer was just such an adventure.
I deliberately selected a relatively demure region, shunning the bright and large
craters in a deliberate attempt to stray from the well trodden path.
It turns out that my target area turned out to be Lacus Exellentiae. I was
initially drawn to a crater with a brightly lit rim just to the left of centre in
my drawing that my subsequent atlas searches found as being nameless apart from
being marked as (b) in a few of the atlases I own . The crater on the right close
to the terminator however turned out to be Clausius with a diameter of 24km and
was situated close the controlled crash site of the European Smart -1 Lunar
orbiter on September 3rd 2006.
A happy hour spent and no longer so Confusedlie!
Moon 11 days
14″ (350mm) Newtonian 193x
Sketch with Derwent watercolour pencils, Derwent Pastel pencils & conte hard
pastels. Blending stumps used, sketch on lightweight black card.
Finished worked scanned but un processed.
Dale Holt
Chippingdale observatory, Nr Buntingford, Hertfordshire UK
Krueger 60 A and B
I began observing and recording the position angle of Krueger 60 A and B also
called ADS15972 during the fall of 1978. In another 15.5 years I will have
observed these close orbiting red dwarf binary stars through one complete orbit.
This pair of stars also demonstrates an annual proper motion westward of nearly a
second of arc. Both of these stars are M class and are among the 40 nearest stars
to earth at just 13.1 light years. The current separation between the pair is 2.3”
of arc. In actual measurement the components are 9.2 AU apart which is about the
distance between the Sun and Saturn. The smaller component B is less than 10% the
mass of our sun and is famous for its irregular flare outbursts which can last for
10 minutes as the brightness doubles. The A component star is magnitude 9.8 and
the B component glows at magnitude 11.3. Both stars are in the constellation of
Cepheus about 45 minutes of arc from Delta Cephei which is famous as the prototype
for all Cepheid
variable stars.
Sketching:
Date and Time: 9-23-2007, 5:10-5:45 UT
Scope: 10” f/5.7 Dobsonian. 12mm eyepiece 121x
8”x12” white sketching paper, B, 2B graphite pencils, scanned and inverted, star
brightness adjustments using Paint
Averted vision was a very useful aid in this sketch.
Seeing: Pickering 8/10
Transparency: above average 4/5
Nelm: 4.8
Frank McCabe
Original sketches are with a # 2 pencil, earser & rubbing stump on white paper
Originals are then scanned into PhotoShop and traced for accuracy of colors and
refinement.
All images have other pertinent information included.
Wade V. Corbei
This sketch was done on Rite in the Rain paper with a number 2 pencil. I used the
edge of my eraser shield for the bands and blending was done with my finger.
An Orion ED80 was used on an LXD75 mount, all of which were on antivibration pads in
the observatory. The eyepiece was a Zhumell 21-7mm zoom with a WO dielectric
diagnoal
Erika Rix
Zanesville, Ohio
Gassendi Crater, a Lunar Favorite
Protruding inside the northern rim of the sea of moisture is the large floor
fractured crater Gassendi. If you close your eyes and try to picture in your mind
a large lunar crater, the image may look something like Gassendi. The 114 km.
walled plain crater is shallow as a result of lava upwelling across the floor
especially toward the east where the highest concentrations of floor fractures are
crisscrossing. The shallow south end is tipped facing the center of Mare Humorum.
The northern end of the crater floor is rubble strewn and hummocky. The eastern
floor sports ridges and small craters in addition to rilles which were clearly
visible in the good seeing of the evening. The southern floor has an irregular
ridge that is parallel to the low rim. The large central peaks (1.2km. high) and
several smaller ones were seen in good relief with sharp black shadows. The deep
crater Gassendi A on the north rim of the larger Gassendi contrasted nicely with
respect to depth.
Shallower and smaller Gassendi B was just north-north-west of A. The rough
highlands around Rimae Mersenius were visible to the west of these three craters
and low hills in the Herigonius region could be seen to the east of Gassendi. Mare
Humorum is estimated to be 3.9 billion years old and Gassendi perhaps 100 million
years younger. If Apollo 17 planners had chosen Gassendi as the last lunar landing
site we would likely know the ages today.
Sketching
For this sketch I used: black Strathmore 400 Artagain paper, 9”x12”, white and
black Conte’ pastel pencils and a blending stump. Brightness was slightly
decreased after scanning.
Telescope: 10 inch f/ 5.7 Dobsonian 6mm eyepiece 241x
Date: 9-23-2007 2:05-3:15 UT
Temperature: 17°C (62°F)
Clear, calm
Seeing: Antoniadi II
Co longitude: 47.5°
Lunation: 11.6 days
Illumination: 82.7 %
Frank McCabe
I’ve never tried sketching doubles before. But the sunset was so pure that I wanted
to enjoy the night outdoors. Sketching Albireo seemed a nice plan under a moonlit
sky. While the full moon was rising from the East, I was covered by the shadow of
our house. I did not expect much to see in the field of view, only a little double
star. But much to my surprise the field was full of little sparks. I guess my
telescopic LM was about mag 11.5 at x63. The nelm was about mag 4.5 under a dark
blue sky. Even the telescopic sky appeared blue to me. I tried not to overdo the
colors. I have a hard time detecting colors in stars. So here is my little sketch of
Albireo. I hope you like it. (edit: the sketch has been reworked, once Sheliak was
finished. This to adapt the relation in brightness a bit.)
Date : August 29, 2007
Time : 21.00UT
Scope : Skywatcher 102/500
Vixen LV zoom at 8mm
Power : x62
FOV: 50′
Filter : none
Seeing : 3.5/5
Transp. : 2/5
Nelm : 4.5
Sketch Orientation : N up, W right.
Digital sketch made with PhotoPaint, based on a raw pencil sketch.
Rony De Laet
