Copernicus Crater
Sketch and Details by Christian Gros
Bonjour,
Je vous envoie mon dessin du cratère Copernic.
Objet name : cratère Copernic
Objet type : cratère lunaire
Location : France, Besançon
Date : 26 novembre 2009
T180 cassegrain x254, pastels sur feuille grise.
Salutations
Christian Gros
NGC 104 / 47 Tucanae
Sketch and Details by Scott Mellish
NGC 104/ 47 Tucanae
Globular Cluster
Ilford NSW Australia
17/10/09
56cm f5 Dobsonian Telescope
Field: 17′
Magnification: 354x
Sky Quality Meter reading: 21:78
White pen
Soft white pencil
Hard white pencil
White pastel chalk
I have made numerous attempts at sketching this remarkable globular cluster over the years, mostly in small telescopes at low power where it is just a bright ball. At higher magnification in my 56cm dob it is a vastly different object.
I had a dose of the Flu while I was away observing, but the sky was clear so I spent a solid two hours at the eyepiece sketching this globular, and it nearly done my head in. Every time I looked in the 8mm Ethos there seemed to be more and more stars to add, plus the 100deg FOV of this eyepiece was almost to much to handle.
The following night was clear again so I spent another 40mins just dabbling with the sketch to try and get as accurate eyepiece view as possible.
I have never been 100% satisfied with the sketches I have done previously of NGC 104 and most made the bin. This one however came out fairly good, it is certainly the best I could do with 47 Tuc.
I do not like to overdo eyepiece sketches, especially with size and brightness as one can be tempted to get a bit carried away, and detract from the visual perspective.
There has been no processing done with the sketch.
I do not think I will be doing NGC 104 again any time soon.
Too many stars!
Scott Mellish.
Crater Euclides and Montes Riphaeus
Sketch and details by Frank McCabe
In southern Oceanus Procellarum not far from mare Cognitum you can locate a bright little Copernican era crater that formed after the last of the dark lava had solidified. This little 12 kilometer crater wearing the bright ejecta blanket is Euclides. The bright ejecta makes it easy to pick out at high sun and with a little bit of shadow and high magnification the nearby Riphaeus mountains also show some fine relief. In the upper left of the sketch note the front range of these mountains which date back 4 billion years. These mountains are likely the remains of a very large crater rim that was not completely buried in the lava flooding. Other similar sized and smaller craters in the region also reveal some bright ejecta betraying their young ages. To learn more read the LPOD caption for May 24, 2006.
Sketching:
For this sketch I used: black Canson paper 10″x 12″, white and black Conte’
pastel pencils , and Conte’crayons, a blending stump, plastic and gum erasers. Brightness was decreased -2 and contrast increased +2 using the scanner for this sketch
Telescope: 10 inch f/ 5.7 Dobsonian with 6mm (241x) eyepiece
Date: 11-28-2009 4:15-5:40 UT
Temperature: 0°C (32°F)
Clear becoming partly cloudy, calm
Seeing: Antoniadi II -III
Co longitude 44°
Lunation 11.4 days
Illumination 80.7%
Frank McCabe
Sketch and Details by Serge Viellard, translation by Frank McCabe
On the second night of observing (using the 16″scope at La Palma), it is the splendour of Orion that held my attention. The Orion nebula, Horsehead nebula, and also the Rosette will remain tremendous observations with regrets for lack of time to sketch them…..
With only a very limited amount of time (minutes) I was able to sketch the Hubble Variable nebula (NGC 2261)….
Sunrise over Marius and the Marius Hills
Sketch and Details by Giorgio Bonacorsi
Hello sketcher,all o.k.?This night,the sky was cover by fog and clouds but ,at 10p.m.,the fog go out and the Moon was very hig over my head.I decide for the first time, to take my Dobson 10″ for the Moon and made my sketch with white pencill on black paper.
I see the Crater Marius go out from shadow and i decide to made that sketch.I used my 15mm eyepiece (83x).I stopped my sketch because the clouds coming quickly.
That sketch is dedicated at Frank McCabe and other sketchers who used this technics.
Ciao a tutti,artisti.
Giorgio Bonacorsi
Site:Pergola,Marchr Region,Center Italy
Date:28 November 2009
Time for made the sketch:From 10,50 to 11,30
Moon phase:Crescent(10,7 days)
Instrument:Dobson GSO 10″
Eyepiece:15mm
Magnification:83x
Seeing:Good,clouds and turbulence at the end.Sketch interrupted cause the clouds
Temperature:Cold,humidity.
Technics:White pastel on black paper Fabriano3.
The lunar crater Julius Caesar and environs
Sketch and Details by Dale Holt
The Weather in the UK has been very wet and windy over the past couple of weeks culminating in the devastating floods in western regions that have made the news over the past week.
On Monday evening just after dark I got a break in the cloud and the Moon shone through with Jupiter in a close embrace. From my observatory I was soon touring the terminator as I so love to do. I was looking for that mountain, ridge, rill, crater or flooded plain that just caught my eye above all else.
Tonight it was lava flooded 80km diameter crater Julius Caesar that did just that, with its low, irregular, and heavily worn wall, washed out completely and the southern end I liken it to a burst dam. It is located to the west of Mare Tranquillitatis, and directly southeast of the crater Manilius on the Mare Vaporum. To the east is the rounded 18km diameter impact crater Sosigenes.
The interior floor of Julius Caesar is relatively level, especially in the southwest half. The northern half of the interior has a lower darker appearance than the south, I hopefully have captured this effect in my sketch. Most likely the floor has been covered or modified by ejecta from the impact that created the Imbrium basin.
There are a number of crater remnants overlapping the rim along the south and northeast edges, the illumination at the time of drawing has allowed me to see and capture one or two of these. A low ridge crosses the floor across the northeast sections of the crater.
Further to the south of Caesar we see the striking graben or fault trough Rima Ariadaeus shown as a dark line in my sketch it runs for over 300km
Sketch was made on Black Daler Rowney Artist paper using a mix of Conte pastels, Water Colour and other artist pencils applied direct on with a blending stump.
Telescope used was a 150mm triplet F9 refractor
Dale Holt
Chippingdale Observatory
Hertfordshire, England
The Leonid Meteor Shower, November 16th and 17th, 2009
Sketch and Details by Richard Handy
The Leonids put on a spectacular display in the early morning hours of November 17th as seen from from Jacumba, California. Around 1:30 to 4:30 am PDT, we were treated to a barrage of meteors, from bright little spikes of light to radiant bolides that streaked halfway across the starry skies leaving long smoke trains that lingered in the air and then dissipated. The stream was sporadic however, and we noted several five to ten minute intervals with small counts breaking the 100-200 meteors per hour rate that seemed a good approximation to the average observed. I was certain that the rate was close to the 500/hr in periods between 3:30 am and 4:30 am predicted by some. Jacumba has very few bright street lights currently and the zodiacal light shone so brightly it was almost distracting. I decided to sketch the scene, and after finishing the foreground ridge on the eastern side of my property and the position of Leo on the horizon, I began to record the trajectory and brightness of the meteors that fell within the field of view of my sketch during the interval between 1:45 am and 3:15 am PDT. You’ll note that Leo would have risen about 25 degrees higher off the horizon during the sketch session, so the drawing does not accurately reflect that movement. Despite the restricted field of view, you can see that I was able to record a nice variety of Leonids during the hour and a half period. In the future, I’ve decided to try sketching one hour intervals with larger fov’s, that way I can record hourly count variations.
I hope most of you had clear weather and were able to see this awesome event, it’s one that will remain in my memory as the best I’ve ever witnessed.
Sketch details:
Subject: The 2009 Leonid Meteor Shower
Date: 11-17-09 Time: 1:30 to 3:15 am PDT Location: Jacumba, California
Naked eye sketch
Media: Conte’ Crayon and dry pastels on Strathmore 400 series black Artagain paper
Sketch size: 9″ x 12″
Lunar craters Mairan, Sharp, Harpalus and the Jura Mountains
Sketch and Details by Frank McCabe
The lunar feature known as the Jura Mountains includes the rim of the Sinus Iridium impact and is visible here in late day sunlight. The debris field can be seen extending westward to Mare Frigoris. All of Sinus Iridium is in shadow which gives this region an unfamiliar appearance. The impact that created the large mountainous debris field occurred during the Upper Imbrium period (3.8 billion years ago). Some of the mountains are a lofty 5 kilometers high. Superimposed on these mountains are two forty kilometer complex craters known as Mairan and Sharp; another similar sized crater can be seen on Mare Frigoris and is called Harpalus (39 km.). At high sun this crater shows a bright young crater ray system in addition to a fine glacis. There are 3 pillow-like features to the far left in the sketch at the edge of the Iridium ejecta. The two that are closest together are the famous large lunar domes known as Gruithuisen Gamma and Delta.
It is always worth while when not expecting a rigorous day ahead to get up a little earlier than usual to see what is going on in the sky before sunrise. This is especially true when the sky is clear and very transparent.
Sketching:
For this sketch I used: black Canson paper 9″x 12″, white and black Conte’
pastel pencils , and Conte’crayons, a blending stump, plastic and gum erasers. Brightness was decreased -2 using the scanner for this sketch
Telescope: 10 inch f/ 5.7 Dobsonian with 9mm (161x) eyepiece
Date: 11-12-2009 11:00-12:00 UT
Temperature: -3°C (27°F)
Clear to partly cloudy, calm
Seeing: Antoniadi III
Co longitude 212.7°
Lunation days 25.27
Illumination 20.1%
Frank McCabe
Lunar crater Manillus in the Sea of Vapors
Sketch and Details by Frank McCabe
There is a stand alone Eratosthenian crater (1-3 billion years old) on the northeastern shore of the Sea of Vapors known as Manilius. Manilius is 39 kilometers in diameter with a steep inner wall 3.1 kilometers above its floor. The crater rim and outer rampart are impressive in the eyepiece as is the illuminated inner talus slope and central mountain still capturing sunlight. As I was making this sketch at 241 power I knew this moonscape was know to have several small domes and when I finished I took a look at several of the larger ones under higher magnification. They are a little difficult to pick out from all the smaller bits of Imbrium ejecta piles. I didn’t concern myself with them during the sketch but Chuck Wood’s LPOD and Bruno Daversin’s image on April 12, 2006 show the ones close to the crater to the north and east. HYPERLINK “http://www.lpod.org/?m=20060412″ http://www.lpod.org/?m=20060412
This photo was taken during the waxing moon and I was viewing and sketching during the waning moon. Also since I was sketching with a Newtonian scope south is up in the sketch.
Sketching:
For this sketch I used: black Canson paper 9″x 12”, white and black Conte’
pastel pencils , and Conte’crayons, a blending stump, plastic eraser. Brightness was decreased -2 and contrast increased +2 using the scanner for this sketch
Telescope: 10 inch f/ 5.7 Dobsonian with 6mm (241x) eyepiece
Date: 11-8-2009 11:15-12:40 UT
Temperature: 9°C (49°F)
Clear becoming partly cloudy, calm
Seeing: Antoniadi II
Co longitude 167°
Lunation 21.5 days
Illumination 61%
Chicago, Illinois USA
Frank McCabe
M42 and M43, The Great Nebula of Orion
Sketch and Details by Gábor Sánta
The Great Orion Nebula (M 42-43) is the best winter object seen with
the naked eye. This drawing made at four evenings (30 Jan, 2 Feb, 16
March and 17 Oct 2007), with two instruments (114/500 refl., 20×90
binoculars). Three of the four nights there was no evidence of
colours, but the last time, at the morning of 17 Oct 2007, was great
transparency. Me and some friends stargazing at the observing terrace
of Szeged Observatory. I turned the 20×90 bino into M42 and gasped my
breath. The filamentary surface of the nebula was really colourful –
pale greens and greys at the W edge, intense light reddish-brown core
and rim at NE-E. Everybody could see this phenomena. So my final
sketch became colourful, too.After I saw the Great Nebula several times,
and sometimes sensed these niceties in the best skies.
Telescope: 20×90 binoculars
Location: Szeged, Hungary
Time: 30 Jan, 2 Feb, 16 March, 17 Oct 2007
Technique: black paper, colored pastels
Category: Diffuse nebula
Best regards, light
Gábor Sánta
Szeged, Hungary
Columnist of Deep Sky head of amateur astronomical magazine called
“Meteor”
Hungarian Astronomical Association (HAA)
