Category: Paper

Mars White Cloud

White clouds on Mars-April 6, 2014
White clouds on Mars-April 6, 2014

* Object Name: Mars
* Object Type: planet
* Location: La Fontasse (Tarn – France) N43.63 E2.35
* Date: April 6th 2014 21h40 UT
* Media: pencil HB + 2B, white drawing paper, scanned + colorized with PhotoPaint

As shown on the detailed view, I experimented the negative drawing with black pencil.
Just by inverting the image, I obtain quite the final result.
I just played with colour and contrast to make it “real”.
Next time I will try to make a negative drawing with blue pencil, to get directly the salmon colour of Mars…

NOTE : The pink colour is real, because of the lunar filter which adds a bluish-grayed hint
This filter provides more contrast and reduces the light intensity.

Conditions: humidity 60%, 12°C, no wind.
Equipment:
– Dobson Orion XT12 (305 x 1500mm => F/D 5)
– Eyepiece Televue Delos 4.5mm (mag x 330)
– Moon filter 1.25″

Excellent transparency and very good seing
Half Moon shining in Gemini

Because of the moonlight, the star party was dedicated to planetary observation.
So I decided to make my first sketch of Mars, as I only once could really see it with details last year.

For the first time I could distinctly see two dark zones : one butterfly shaped (right) and one banana shaped (left)
The sky was good enough to expect to see the north polar ice cap.
I actually saw a scattered brighter spot on the upper part of the disk.
As you never know the orientation of an object in your eyepiece, I decided this was the north pole ice cap of Mars.

Back home, while looking for the name of the dark zones (Acidalia Planitia & Meridiani Planum), I discovered that the north pole was on the right side of the disk.
So, what was this white spot ???
I found the explanation from a recent photo of Mars, on spaceweathergallery.com, showing a white cloud storm, in the same area.

This is how I discovered my new speciality: meteorologist of Mars ! 🙂

Thanks for your interest.
Jean-Marc Saliou
APAM astro club – France

An urban Ghost of Jupiter (NGC 3242)

The Ghost of Jupiter (NGC 3242) Planetary Nebula
The Ghost of Jupiter (NGC 3242) Planetary Nebula

•Object Name: Ghost of Jupiter (NGC 3242).
•Object Type: Planetary Nebula.

•Location: San Miguel, Buenos Aires Argentina.

•Conditions: NELM 4.5. Good transparency, bad seeing.

•Date: 23/03/2014 11:00pm.

•Media: HB, 2B, blend stump and PS for color. Averted vision.

•Telescope: Meade LB 12″ on equatorial tracking platform.
•Eyepiece: SW TMB II 6mm and sometimes TV UHC filter.

Hi ASOD! This time I bring you all the Ghost of Jupiter from my backyard. It was a good night except for the poor seeing conditions. Some of the stars are down to mag 13-14 and the nebula, with averted vision, was excellent showing internal details at x254. Days later, at a star party, I could appreciate the full glory of nebula, the central star was like a pin and incredible details were easily seen at x254-x400 (no sketch, sorry!). Hope you like it!

Best regards, Leo.

Copernicus

Lunar Crater Copernicus - March 10, 2014
Lunar Crater Copernicus – March 10, 2014

This is my first ASOD and my first sketch of a moon crater.

Object Name: Copernicus Crater

Object Type: Lunar Crater

Location: Lisbon, Portugal (38º 44′ N 9º 30′ W)

Date: 10-03-2014

Media: graphite pencil

Equipment: ED doublet refractor, 80/720mm, (3.15″) F9; EP 6mm OR, 120x.

It was an exceptional night without wavering at this magnification, so I took a shot at it.

Clear skies

Bernardo Andrade

SN 2014J in M82

Galaxy M82 with Supernova SN2014J
Galaxy M82 with Supernova SN2014J

Hello,

Two and a half hours of clear sky at 04.February 2014 were sufficient to hold the SN in M82 and take a long walk on the winter night sky.

After a tough cloud cover and then the mist had dissolved about 21:00 clock, I could start the observation with the TMB 115/805 Apo.

The supernova was a really great thing! Very bright and striking beamed the SN in the “cigar”. After a brief enjoyment, I started with the sketch!
Unfortunately, the review was only mediocre, so blurred finer structures of the galaxy almost. Nice to see was the interruption in M 82 and south two light specks.

CS Uwe

Object: Galaxy M82

Object Name: SN 2014J

Telescope: 115/805 TMB

Eyepiece: 6mm Baader Genuine Ortho

Magnification: about 110x

Location: near Tauberbischofsheim Germany

Lunar Terminator Near to the Western Limb

LunarTerminator West Limb-February 25, 2013
LunarTerminator West Limb-February 25, 2013
LunarTerminator West Limb-February 25, 2013
LunarTerminator West Limb-February 25, 2013

Lunar Terminator Near to the Western Limb

On Sunday evening I was getting a wonderful view of the lunar terminator near the western limb just a half day before full Moon. The favorable longitudinal libration of -04° 40’ was creating an opportunity to see craters along the terminator that are often poorly placed for viewing.
With storms on the way from the southwest this was a good evening to attempt a sketch. The calm before the arrival of storms often leaves the seeing fair to good as was the case on this night. Craters such as Vasco da Gama (99 km.), Bohr (73 km.), Dalton (63 km.), Balboa (71 km.) and part of Einstein (175 km.) were all seen. Craters Cardanus (51 km.) and Krafft (53 km.) and the crater chain (catena) between them were in bright sunlight. The views all along the terminator were magnificent.
Sketching:

For this sketch I used: black Strathmore 400 Artagain paper (9” x 12”), white and black Conte’
pastel pencils. In addition a small artist’s brush and powdered Conte’ white crayon was used for blending. Contrast was slightly increased (+2) using a scanner to better match the original.
Telescope: 13.1 inch f/ 5.9 Dobsonian and 6 mm eyepiece 327 X
Date: 02-25-2013, 04:00-06:30 UT
Temperature: 0.0° C (32° F)
Partly cloudy, calm
Seeing: Antoniadi III
Colongitude 86.9 °
Lunation 14.87 days
Illumination 99.5 %

Frank McCabe

Thor’s Helmet

NGC 2359, Thor's Helmet
NGC 2359, Thor’s Helmet

• Object Name: NGC 2359 The Helmet Thor`s

• Object Type: Bright

• Location: Pueblonuevo de Bullaque España

• Date: January 25 2014

• Media: Graphite Pencil HB 2, torchon 1 and white paper

• inverted colors with GIMP 2.8

Observation notes:

80x TFOV 1º New 10” dob telescope.

Object Elevation +35 º. Nelm 6,3. 6º C. Moisture 82 º/º.

Pedro Villamiel.

Greetings to all visitors of this page. Pedro Villamiel Alcorcón, Madrid February 1 2014

The Occultation of Saturn by the Moon

Lunar Occultation of Saturn
Lunar Occultation of Saturn

Hey ASOD!

I send you an old sketch of a occultation of Saturn by the moon!

This is the most interesting occultation of Saturn I have seen.

The rings were wide open and the sky was clean.

I used a stop- clock for the timing of this event. Info on the sketch!

For my sketch, I used color crayons on black paper.

Location: Trondheim, Norway.

Best wishes and clear sky from Per-Jonny Bremseth.

Thanks for nice comments!

The Light of Quirón

Omega Centuari Globular cluster
Omega Centauri Globular Cluster

Hello!! It wasn´t a very good night, but the clouds couldn´t beat me. I took my pencilbox and carry out my new Dobson 8″. It was a very nice experience though. This is my first sketch of a globular cluster! My eyes couldn´t bealive how beautiful this object is, thats why i choose it for my sketch. Thank you so much for publishing it!!!!! 😀 Best regards!

Object Name NGC 5139 – Omega Centauri
Object Type Globular Cluster
Location Miramar, Argentina
Date 25/03/2014
Media graphite pencil 2H and 2B on white paper, scumble, inverted with GIMP2
Instrumental: SW Skyliner Dobson 8″