Category: Media Combinations

The Wolf-Lunmark-Melotte System

MCG-3-1-15
“Wolf-Lunmark-Melotte System”
Dwarf irregular galaxy
Cetus
09/08/10
Ilford NSW Australia
56cm f5 Dobsonian telescope
Field: 32′
Magnification:: 129x
Sky Quality Meter reading: 21:58

Black Canford paper
White pen
White pencil
White oil pencil
White pastel chalk
Paint brush
Blending stump

This diffuse dwarf galaxy required a relatively wide field with modest magnification to show it at its best.
The WLM system is a distant local group member around 4 million light years away and was discovered by Max Wolf in 1909.
However it was not until 1926 that its nature as a galaxy was determined by Knut Lundmark and P.J. Melotte.

This galaxy also has an extra-galactic globular which is a challenge for keen deep sky observers.

After checking some finder charts against the sketch I have marked what I suspect is the globular.

Scott Mellish

Waning Moon High in the East

Waning Moon High in the East

On the night of September 27-28, 2010, I witnessed the rising gibbous moon paired with the Pleiades near the northeastern horizon. By placing my thumb over the moon the seven sisters were clearly visible further to the north. Together they began their march across the sky after 9pm local time.
After I finished some indoor chores I returned to the telescope and set up to do some sketching.
Initially I considered sketching both of them together but soon changed my mind to go after just the moon. I spend about two hours recording as much as I could see before fatigue began forcing me to erase with greater frequency. This is my lunar sketching result.

Sketching:

For this sketch I used black sketching paper 9″ x 12″, white and black Conte’ pastel pencils, blending stumps, a gum eraser and brush. Brightness was slightly increased (+1) using the scanner

Scope 4.25″ f/5 Newtonian scope at 45x

Date: 9-28-2010, 1:00-3:00 local time
Temperature: 14° C (58° F)
clear, calm
Seeing: Antoniadi III
Colongitude: 151.6 °
Lunation: 20 days
Illumination: 78.3% Waning Gibbous

Frank McCabe

Waning Crescent Moon in Early Twilight

Waning Crescent Moon in Early Twilight

I was up early on this morning getting a look at some of the winter stars and witnessed a beautiful 25 day old waning moon. The earthshine was poor but after a look through a small Newtonian scope I decided to make a quick 40 minute sketch. It was a fine view.

Sketching:
For this sketch I used black construction paper 9″ x 12″, white and black Conte’ pastel pencils, blending stumps, a gum eraser and brush. Brightness was slightly increased (+1) using the scanner

Scope 2.5” f/10 Newtonian scope at 25x

Date: 9-4-2010, 10:00-10:40 UT
Temperature: 16° C (60° F)
clear, calm
Seeing: Antoniadi III
Colongitude: 220.2 °
Lunation: 25.3 days
Illumination: 22.1% Waning Crescent

Frank McCabe

Before the Nectaris Basin, There Was Rosenberger and Vlacq

This sketch was made on an exceptionally steady night of seeing and centers on two old craters in the highlands of the southeastern quadrant near the approaching sunset terminator. At times of higher sun the dominating feature here is a uniform scattering of similar looking 30-50 km. craters that dot this highland plain. It is something of a nightmare to identify small impactors in this local. This region looks and is ancient. Here you will find two large sketching targets side by side, the craters Rosenberger (96km.) and Vlacq (89 km.).
Both of these craters pre-date the impact that formed the Nectaris basin some 3.9 billion years ago. As obviously ancient as these craters appear at high sun with the worn out rims, lack of large central peaks, lack of ejecta blanket rays, etc. At a low sun angle this pair takes on a more youthful appearance. The sharp shadows hide some tell tale signs of age. The smaller of the two, namely Vlacq is noticeably more youthful, with its larger, central, double massif, lower floor crater count and slight bulge inward onto Rosenberger.
It was a pleasure under near perfect weather conditions to observe and sketch this pair again at the eyepiece after 3 years hiatus.

Sketching:

For this sketch I used: black Strathmore 400 Artagain paper, 9”x 12”, white and black Conte’pastel pencils and blending stumps, gum eraser, brush. Brightness was slightly decreased with the scanner.

Telescope: 10 inch f/ 5.7 Dobsonian and 6 mm eyepiece 241 x
Date: 8-28-2010, 6:30-8:20 UT
Temperature: 22° C (72° F)
clear, calm
Seeing: Antoniadi II
Colongitude: 133.2 °
Lunation: 18.1 days
Illumination: 88.8% Waning Gibbous

Frank McCabe

Giant Eruptions of Eta Carina

Eta Carina star & Key hole nebula
2010.7.15 19:00~22:00
Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia
Trans 6/6, Seeing 4/5, Limiting Mag. 6.5
Obssesion 18″ UC (f=1915mm)
Televue Ethos 13mm (147x)
Black paper(A4 size) and pastel.

Last July, I went to Australia with obssesion 18″ UC to observing star.

(My hometown is S.Korea)

During my observation trip, lots of cloud covered with Australia.

So we rented a car, and moved everyday to find clear sky. (Goondiwindi, Miles, Coonabarabran)

Eta Carina star is incredible!!!

It is not difficulty for observe erupted materials from Eta Carina star.

I did’n expect observing “Giant eruptions”, but I observed this feature with 18″ UC and extremly clear sky

(I saw belt of venus and zodiacal light every night)

Key hole nebula is clear and impressive dark nebula beside Eta Carina star.

Kanguk Cho, Nightwid

Vieta and Terminator

Object: Moon. Vieta crater and others
Scope: Schmidt-Cassegrain 5″ with Antares S-W 7,4mm and barlow 2x
Magnification: about 338x
Date: August 22nd, 2010.
Place: Wrocław, Poland
Weather: Good. Seeing 3/5. Transparency 3/5
Technique: White pastel on black art paper with printed sketch pattern
Tooling: some “cosmetology” with GIMP 2
Observer: Aleksander Cieśla (Wimmer)

Looking at a Bit of History

NGC 6822
Barnard’s Dwarf Galaxy
Sagittarius
24/07/09
Ilford NSW Australia
Field 27′
Magnification 218x
56cm f5 dobsonian telescope
Sky Quality Meter Reading 21:46

Black Canford paper
White pastel
White pen
Soft white pencil
Blending stump

NGC 6822 or “Barnard’s Dwarf Galaxy” is not a particularly difficult object from a dark sky site, but it is rather diffuse, and can suffer visually from poor sky conditions.
I always find medium to low magnification the best when observing this galaxy as it contrasts nicely with the numerous field stars.

I noticed there had been one or two entries in previous years on ASOD dealing with NGC 6822, so I thought I might add my own just for another perspective on this
fascinating object.

As you can probably notice just to the right of center in the sketch and about 6′ apart are two of the brighter H-II regions of this object.

A local group member NGC 6822 is quite famous as being the basis for Edwin Hubble’s seminal paper- NGC 6822 A Remote Stellar System (Hubble 1925) wherein he
was able to identify 15 variable stars, the majority of which were Cepheid’s.
He was then able to determine the distance to NGC 6822 with great accuracy (over 700 000 ly).

This virtually concluded the “Great Debate” of 1920 between Shapely and Curtis over the scale of the Universe and the nature of “Spiral Nebulae”.

So if you get a chance to observe NGC 6822 you are looking at a bit of history in more ways than one.

Scott Mellis

A Great Globular Cluster of the Southern Crown

NGC 6541
Globular Cluster
Corona Australis
11/06/10
Ilford NSW Australia
56cm f5 Dobsonian telescope
Field: 17′
Magnification: 354x
Sky Quality Meter reading: 21:41

Black Canford paper
White pen
White pastel pencil
White pastel chalk
Blending stump

This lovely globular cluster was first discovered by Nicolo Cacciatore
on 19th of March 1826, and later in the same year by James Dunlop.

In the 56cm dob it is quite impressive, and proved to be a challenge to
sketch as the night was cold with a stiff breeze buffeting the telescope
at intervals.

While the wind made me feel like I was rounding the Horn- I persevered,
and by 1.00am it suddenly died off allowing me to complete the finishing
touches in reasonable comfort.

Scott Mellish

Maurolycus Revisited

Maurolycus Revisited

This is a notable crater in the southern highlands as the terminator approaches. On this twentieth day of lunation the setting sun shadow could be seen crawling across the crater floor to the east. The large size (115 km.), central peaks on a flat floor and high terraced walls identify this ancient crater (Nectarian period) as a walled plain impact. The east wall rises steeply above the floor 4.2 kilometers. Part of a previous large crater juts out from under Maurolycus to the south (on top in the sketch). Central peaks casting shadows were seen north of the center point on the crater floor. The floor is mostly flat and smooth with a few visible craters. Among the many similar craters in the southern highlands this is a crater that truly stands out.

Sketching:

For this sketch I used: black Strathmore 400 Artagain paper 9”x6” (half sheet), white and black Conte’ pastel pencils and a blending stump. After scanning, Brightness was decreased (-4) and contrast increased (+4) using the scanner.

Telescope: 10 inch f/ 5.7 Dobsonian and 6 mm eyepiece 241 x
Date: 7-2-2010, 8:30-9:00 UT
Temperature: 16° C (60° F)
clear, calm
Seeing: Antoniadi III
Colongitude: 157.7 °
Lunation: 20 days
Illumination: 71 %

Frank McCabe