Category: Star Clusters

NGC 6520 and Barnard 86

NGC 6520 and Barnard 86
NGC 6520 and Barnard 86

Object : NGC 6520 & B86 (Ink Spot Nebula)
Object Type : Open Cluster & Dark Nebula
Location : Haleakala Summit, Maui, Hawaii
Date : 7/3/11 11:20pm
Medium : Graphite pencil on white paper

I found this object by accident while locating another object & could not take my eyes off it. The open cluster appears three dimensional next to the stark black dark nebula. I used PhotoScape to invert to black, and to sharpen up some of the stars & color the yellow star in the most western section of the drawing.

Thank you for your consideration!
Thia Krach

Hornet in the Hive

Mars and Messier 44
Mars and Messier 44

Hi,

Object Name : Mars and M44
Object Type : Planet, Open Cluster
Location : Skrzyszow, Silesia, Poland
Date : 4.20am 2011-10-02
Media : graphite pencil, color added in GIMP

Dobson 1200/200 + SWA 32mm + SWA 15mm

It’s hard to say, that the condition was nice. The seeing was perfect but only in zenith. I saw perfect Jupiter. One of the best I’ve ever seen!
Unfortunate, near the horizon, there was fog.
In my location, the Mars was only on altitude 25 degree, so I have to write: seeing was not good.
Please, forgive me, that I had to colorized sketch using digital magic. One more thing: there is planet any surface on sketch. It is only the moisture…

Clear sky!
Marek

Garradd and M71

C/2009 P1 (Garradd) and Messier 71
C/2009 P1 (Garradd) and Messier 71

26/08/2011 _ 23.30 – 23.50 CEST
Hlucin _ Czech rep.
Pencil on white paper and inverted in Photoshop

Here is the sketch of comet Garradd and globular cluster M71. Conditions were very fine, clear sky and only some light pollution. I made the sketch yesterday night. [note: sketch was submitted August 26, 2011.]
Clear sky

Tom Perdoch

Conjunction of Moon and M44

Moon and M44
Moon and M44

While reviewing my log book I came across this sketch of the conjunction of the Moon and M44, May 10, 2008 as seen from my backyard in Orleans, Ontario, Canada at about 10:10 local time. The sketch was made with white pastel on black paper and scanned into the computer, No processing was done. The seeing was very good that evening. My log comments that at 200x in my 8″ Dob everything was very steady. I was struck by the beauty of this conjunction especially with the earthshine on the moon.

Clear skies,
Gordon

A Large, Glittering Ball

Messier 13
Messier 13

Object name: Messier 13 (NGC 6205)
Type: Globular Cluster
Location: Sandown, UK
Date: October 15, 2011
Media: Graphite pencil on white paper, inverted in Photoshop.
Equipment: 18 inch f/4.3 Dobsonian with an 11mm Televue Plossl (180x).

Ever since I became interested in deep sky observing and sketching nearly 20 years ago, I have mostly used 6, 8 and 12 inch telescopes for my observations, plus the odd big ones (20, 36 and 48 inches) at star parties such as Texas. My new 18 inch dob has now brought my observing into a Whole New Realm – the magnitude or so difference over my 12 inch means that there is a lot more to see.

On October 15th, as the conditions were a bit lousy (nearly-full Moon plus some mist), I didn’t bother with the faint galaxy-hunting I had been doing lately and decided to sketch M13 instead. I haven’t done a lot of sketching while using the 18 inch yet, as I have spent the time in my six sessions with it so far searching for more detail in objects and things such as faint galaxies in the field of view.

While sketching M13 I found – totally unsurprisingly – that the big and more detailed objects are far more challenging to sketch when viewed in larger apertures. You’re just overwhelmed with the profusion of detail and M13 is a prime example of this; while it isn’t totally resolved in the 18 inch, it is a very large glittering ball of many stars.

Faith Jordan

Night Owl

NGC 457
NGC 457

Object Name: Owl Cluster – NGC457
Object Type: Open Cluster
Constellation: Cassiopeia
Location:Seyedabad-Firoozkooh,Iran (35º 38′ N , 52º 22′ E)
Date: August 5, 2011
Time: 1:00 Local Time (+3:30 GMT)
Media: Graphite pencil on white paper,Inverted in Photoshop

Optic: 80 ED APO Refractor Telescope
Focal Length: 600 mm
Eyepiece: 9mm UWA- 1.25′′- 58º

Best Regards and Clear Sky
Mona Sorayaei

Caroline’s Rose

NGC 7789
NGC 7789

Object Type: open cluster
Location: Petfurdo, Hungary
Date: 2011.09.30.
Media: black pencil on white paper, enhanced with GIMP2.6

This open cluster in Cassiopeia was discovered by Caroline Herschel in 1783.
It is also known as “The White Rose” Cluster or “Caroline’s Rose” Cluster
because when seen visually, the loops of stars and dark lanes look like the
swirling pattern of rose petals.

best regards,

Laszlo Nemeth

My Mate Scorpius

Scorpius

Scorpius
Hover mouse over image to view labels.

Object type: constellation
Location: Itajobi, SP, Brazil (on a farm)
21º19′ S
49º03′ W
+450m
Date: July 2011
Media: 2B 0.5mm graphite pencil on white paper, scanned then inverted
Instrument: naked eye and 10×50 binoculars
Observer: Rodrigo Pasiani Costa

July 2011 was definitely a great month for me to observe the night sky. In fact it didn’t rain at all, so I could set my telescope on my mom’s farm several times. I spent many hours a night observing, sometimes from seven pm (local time) untill half past trhee am (local time), and I would be alone if not for a mate: Scorpius, high above in the sky, always looking at me from the top, crossing from East to West through the zenit. So, between one object and another, I skethed this fascinating constellation together with some of its stellar clusters and nebulosity. The details were observed with a 10×50 binoculars, but the stars and the Milky Way were observed with the naked eye. I hope you enjoy it, it took me three or four nights, and was a great experience.
Oh, I could not forget. Past September 24th was the 18th birthday of my friend Camila. Happy birthday, Camila, enjoy the great dark sky you have from your garden.

More July sketches coming soon.
Dark skies to everybody.
From Brazil,
Rodrigo P. C.