Lunar craters Aristarchus, Herodotus, Vallis Schröter
Sketch and Details by Tamás Ábrahám
Hello,
here is a sketch about Crater Aristarchus and Herodotus with Vallis Schröter.
The seeing was poor on this evening but the transparency was acceptable.
Details
Date: October 30, 2009
Equipment: 8 inch f/5 Newtonian reflector with 4 mm SW Planetary eyepiece
Location: Zsámbék, Hungary
Technique: white paper, black pencil
Regards,
Tamás Ábrahám
www.vadakcsillaga.hu
Lunar crater Maurolycus and environs
Sketch and Details by Frank McCabe
Among the craters in the southern highlands this large walled plain crater (115 km.) really stands out. Seeing this crater on the sunrise terminator was all the motivation I needed to attempt a sketch. The atmosphere was somewhat turbulent so I keep the magnification in the medium range.
I drew this crater back in late July of 2008 when it was illuminated by a higher sun at the waning gibbous phase. As I continued to sketch, the central peak of this crater began to catch the rising sun, and I immediately recalled a beautiful sketch of this crater under similar lighting made by Rich Handy back in 2006 or there about.
Just above Maurolycus which would be south in the sketch, the dark crescent seen is a partial remnant of a more ancient crater than the old Nectarian period Maurolycus. The outer wall of this crater and its partner to the south, south east Barocius (83 km.) stand tall and steep more than 4 kilometers above the floor.
Sketching:
For this sketch I used: black Strathmore 400 Artagain paper 9”x12”, white and black Conte’ pastel pencils and a blending stump. After scanning, Brightness was decreased (-3) and contrast increased (+2) using Microsoft Office Picture Manager.
Telescope: 10 inch f/ 5.7 Dobsonian and 8 mm eyepiece 181 x
Date: 10-24 to 10-25-2009, 10:40-12:05 UT
Temperature: 13° C (55° F)
Partly Cloudy, calm
Seeing: Antoniadi III-IV
Colongitude 347.1 °
Lunation 6.75 days
Illumination 40.2 %
Frank McCabe
Lunar crater Arago and domes Arago Alpha and Arago Beta
Sketch and Details by Balázs Benei
Object name: crater Arago, domes Arago Alpha and Beta
Object type: Lunar crater, Lunar dome
Location: Gyöngyös, Hungary
Date: 2008. 10. 19. 23:20 – 23:40 UT
Hello,
This sketch is one of my oldest, I made it one year ago. The crater and the domes were very easy to find and observe, this triangle is my favourite Lunar area. ‘É’ means north, ‘Ny’ means west on the sketch.
My equipment: 110/800 (4′) Newtonian reflector, 2x barlow, 10mm eyepiece, 160x magnification.
Yours sincerely
Balázs Benei
Lunar crater Maurolycus
Sketch and Details by Tamás Ábrahám
Hello,
here is a sketch about Crater Maurolycus.
Details
Date: September 9, 2009
Equipment: 8 inch f/5 Newtonian reflector with 4 mm SW Planetary eyepiece
Location: Zsámbék, Hungary
Technique: black paper, white and black pencils
Regards,
Tamás Ábrahám
www.vadakcsillaga.hu
The Southwestern Limb of Moon with Montes Rook and Cordillera
Sketch and Details by Peter Mayhew
Object Name: Southwestern Limb of Moon with Montes Rook and Cordillera.
Object Type: Lunar mountains
Location:
Date: 3rd October 2009
Medium: Graphite pencil on white paper.
Instrument: Skywatcher Skyliner 150mm f8 Dobsonian, 10mm e.p. with x2 Barlow.
Seeing: Very turbulent with intermittent stillness.
The Montes Rook and Cordillera with labelled features
Sketch and Details by Peter Mayhew
The moon was 14 days old and this part of the south west limb was the only region under contrast. Craters were only visible when close to the terminator, or if rayed or darkened with basalt flows. The mountain peaks stood out perfectly in moments of stillness. The three concentric mountain rings around the (not-visible) Mare Orientale were clearly defined. I include a labelled version.
The Great Peninsula and Adjacent Sea
Sketch and Details by Frank McCabe
On this cold early morning I chose for sketching the lunar highland region that is pointed directly to Earth, namely the Great Peninsula and the adjacent Mare Nubium. It would be much fun to draw the entire visible part of the Peninsula in just one sketching session at the eyepiece but that is just a dream with the terminator features changing so quickly. I focused on just what I could handle inside my self-imposed two hour limit. The seeing was good and that alone means ignoring some visible detail within the allotted time.
I was well into the sketch when I noticed my first mistake. I was using the excellent black Canson acid-free paper and one edge was embossed with the words “Colorline Canson…” which I discovered about one hour into the sketch as I began drawing over these words… Dah.
The terminator was cutting across the western part of the peninsula which was diagonal and inverted in the eyepiece from upper right to lower left in the Newtonian telescope.
From top center to lower left the large ancient craters with floors in full darkness are: Regiomontanus (125km.) with an illuminated, cratered peak somewhat off center; Purbach (120km.) with its arching central peaks picking up the last rays of sunlight; Smaller Thebit (60km.) closest to Rupes Recta (Straight Wall); Arzachel (100km.) with all but the rim in total darkness (note: that was not the case before I started sketching); and lastly Alpetragius( 40km.) with the tip of its huge central peak catching light.
The two smallish and younger craters on the other side of Rupes Recta are Birt (17km.) and Nicollet (15km.). With such good seeing many smaller craters were clearly visible across the Sea of Clouds. While observing this region after finishing the sketch in twilight, clouds moved in and closed out any further viewing.
Sketching is always a series of compromises, if you want the moon high in the sky this time of year you are limited to the early morning. During the fall early morning is the coldest part of the day and you need to give up some sleep time.
It was an adrenalin rush to see the moon on this morning and enough to keep warm.
Sketching:
For this sketch I used: black Canson paper 9”x 13”, white and black Conte’
pastel pencils , and Conte’ crayons, a blending stump, plastic eraser.
Telescope: 10 inch f/ 5.7 Dobsonian with 6mm (241x) eyepiece
Date: 10-11-2009 9:30-11:30 UT
Temperature: -3°C (27°F)
Clear becoming mostly cloudy, calm
Seeing: Antoniadi II and briefly I
Co longitude 182°
Lunation 22.7 days
Illumination 49.4%
Oak Forest, Illinois
Frank McCabe
Lunar crater Schiller and environs
Sketch and Details by Giorgio Bonacorsi
Hi astro sketcher how are you? i’m o.k. after long time of personal problem,i finally made a new sketch of Moon with my refractor 80mm/1000 focal lenght,very good instrument for this work.
Excuse me for a long silence but i’m depressed and i stopped my sketcher’s activiti for three monts.But i have followed your great sketches expecially the sketches of Frank,my great Moon’s sketcher.All the sketches was great,compliment at all,in Italy don’t exist one web site for sketchers,the astronomy papers don’t want the sketches, only photos….i hope in future..
Good sketches and clear sky for all!!!!!Great artists!!!!
Two of my Moon sketches are showed at Birr Castle Exhibition in Ireland.You organize one Exhibition in future?
Ciao amici,Giorgio.
Date and site:Pergola,Marche,Center Italy,29 september 2009
Moon phase:Crescent
Scope:Refractor Kenko 80mm/1000 f.
Eyepiece:15mm with Barlow(132x)
Seeing:Good,tubulence,difficult for drawing.
Temperature:Light cold,humidity,no wind.
Crater Cabeus near the Lunar South Pole
Sketch and Details by Frank McCabe
On Monday September 28, 2009 the LCROSS Science Team at NASA decided to change the impact target for the October 9, 2009 11:30 UT impact based on a better chance of striking a more robust hydrogen concentration and hopefully creating a plume that reaches a higher altitude. At the newly selected site inside a valley on the floor of crater Cabeus a large hill in the vicinity will be casting a shadow that should provide good background contrast for viewing, imaging or sketching the event. The NASA LCROSS report states, “During the last days of the mission the LCROSS team will continue to refine the exact point of impact within Cabeus crater to avoid rough spots, and to maximize solar illumination of the debris plume and Earth observations.
From my location in the Chicago south suburbs the morning sky will be in twilight and the moon will be past the meridian but at a respectable 66° altitude in Taurus. The locations get darker the further west you are in the USA.
On the only recent clear night in some time I went out and sketched the South Polar Region including crater Cabeus. I did this primarily for practice and to see how much of the region I could sketch in a reasonable amount of time; so now I know about when to get started on October 9th. On the date of impact the crater Cabeus will be in about the same viewing position from the limb as in the sketch.
Sketching:
For this sketch I used: black Canson paper, white and black Conte’
pastel pencils , a blending stump, gum eraser.
Telescope: 10 inch f/ 5.7 Dobsonian with 6mm (241x) eyepiece
Date: 9-30-2009 9:15-10:45 pm local time
Temperature: 11°C (51°F)
Clear, calm
Seeing: Antoniadi III,
Co longitude 56.7°
Lunation 12.3 days
Illumination 90.4%
Oak Forest, Illinois
Frank McCabe
Webmaster’s note: Anyone who is able to observe and possibly sketch the LCROSS impact dust plumes are invited to submit their drawings to ASOD for publication.
Lunar crater Copernicus
Sketch and Details by Andrew Phethean
Copernicus
I was a bit daunted by the intricacy of detail in the banks of the crater, so rather than render accuracy, I attempted just to capture the “mood” of the crater – the 3-D-ness, the grandeur, the complexity. Details follow:
Location: Aberdeen, UK
Conditions: transparency: IV/V. Seeing III/V
Time: approx 11.20 pm – 12.00 am (4th April)
Scope: 6″ f/8 Skywatcher Evostar
Eyepiece: 7mm TS Planetary (171x)
Materials: White and black Conte chalk pastels on A5 black 270gsm drawing paper
I only heard of ASOD today, reading Astronomy Now magazine. I was regretful that I hadn’t heard of it before, because I love seeing the work that people produce with their own hands. I’ve had a good browse of the site and am enjoying the work on there.
I have only made a handful of sketches before. My first was a lunar sketch of Gutenburg. I make DSO sketches once in a while to check my observations. I’m 21 and have been into astronomy for 3 years.
I have attached two sketches here. Both of which I was very proud to have published in Astronomy Now magazine.
Andrew Phethean
Webmasters note: Thank you Andrew and we will be delighted to feature your second of hopefully many submissions to come! -Rich Handy and Jeremy Perez
Mare Humorum, the “Sea of Moisture”
Sketch and Details by Frank McCabe
One month ago (August 15) I began a sketch I was unable to complete due to interfering clouds and lucky for me early on the morning of September 13 with the moon at approximately the same phase, I completed the graphite sketch of most of the mare Humorum basin (380 km.). This impact basin is a different shape and somewhat smaller in size than Marie Crisium (600 km.). Research mapping data puts the age of this sea at about 3.9 billion years, a Nectarian period formation. The floor is flooded over by a thick layer of basaltic lava especially over the central region. Additionally a number of large interesting craters ring the margins of this basin. At the southern edge (12 o’clock position in the sketch) you can see craters: Vitello, Lee and Doppelmayer. At the north edge (6 o’clock position) you can see crater Gassendi and on its rim Gassendi A. The lighting on both occasions was excellent for viewing the lava ridges on the eastern side of the maria. Both days were excellent for viewing a steady lunar image with a notable amount of fog on the second viewing morning.
Sketching:
Sketch was made over two observing sessions
For this sketch I used: white sketching paper 10”x 8”, HB, 4B, 6B graphite pencils, a blending stump and a plastic eraser and eraser shield. After scanning, Brightness was decreased (-2) and contrast increased (+2) using Microsoft Office Picture Manager.
Telescope: 10 inch f/ 5.7 Dobsonian and 6 mm eyepiece 241x
Dates: 8-15-2009, 9:30-10:25 UT; 9-13-2009, 10:00-11:10 UT
Temperature: 15° C (59° F), 16° C (61° F)
clear, calm, then cloudy the first day, Very humid both days, dense fog on the second day
Seeing: Antoniadi II-III
Colongitude 205.5°, 200.2°
Lunation 24.27 days, 24 days
Illumination 32.7 %, 35.3 %
Frank McCabe
