Object Name: First Quarter Moon
Object Type: abstract interpretive sketch of prominent lunar features
Location: Oberlin, Ohio
Date: August-September 2013
Media: Sharpie, ball-point pen, and colored pencil on white paper
As this is the latest addition to my series of abstract astronomy-themed drawings (see more here: http://preshuss1.deviantart.com/gallery/45423007), I used a bit of artistic license in interpreting the lunar features that are shown. Still, I did my best to reference the moon’s actual geography.
The Sea of Rains is the central focus. Framing the craters Archimedes, Aristillus, Autolycus, and Cassini, this ancient volcanic plain is edged from south to north by the Appenine and Caucasus mountains, and capped by the “Alpine Valley.” The northern Mare Frigoris (Sea of Cold) bleeds around the crater Aristotle and into the lakes of Death and Dreams, finally bringing the eye to rest on a Sea of Serenity at lower right. Yes…it’s easy to get carried away by such tantalizing names! Exploring the lunar surface can feel like wandering through a poem…
When we went to the country on May 30, my daughter (5 year old) saw sunset over the grove.
And returned to home, she drew a picture regarding to sunset.
Hello Artists,after a long time with rain(GRRRRR!!), I made two sketches about Comet PanStarrs!! I go out from work and I go to hill near Little town of Saltara. Very cold temperature and light icely wind. The clouds covered the zone but ,finally they go out from the horizon. I see the comet under the rest of gray clouds and, on blue paper i made the first sketch with bino 10×50. In the same time I take my big bino 25×100 on tripod and made the second sketch, with pencil on black
paper. Unfortunately the comet was very low and the sketch was very difficult to made.
I hope like you.
Ciao a tutti!!
Giorgio.
Site: Saltara,19 March 2013
Instruments: bino 10×50 and big bino 25×100
Media: Coloured pencil on blue paper, with pencil on black paper
seeing: Very clear after rain but icely temperature!
Object: Comet PanSTARRS C/2011 L4 and Crescent Moon
Date: March 12, 2013
Time: Approx. 19:25 LST/ 02:25 UT
Location: ~2500ft or 762m atop Harquahala Mtn range near Aguila Arizona USA
Gear: Binoculars 8 x 56 6 degree FoV
Detector: Visual Sketch
Magnitude: Comet 1 Crescent Moon -5.6
Weather: Clear sky, windy at higher elevation of mountain, Temp- mid 60’s.
Comments:
Hello friends of ASOD!,
It’s been quite some time since I last posted anything on this site, but I finally got in gear and produced this colorful scene. I must admit that this was by far the best view and conjunction of PanSTARRS and the Crescent Moon. I had scouted some scenic spots around the neighborhood but none gave me the Southwest look I had in mind.
Harquahala Mounatins here I come!
A mild to tracherous climb on my “4×4″ and 5 miles later at 2500ft elevation, I found what I was looking for. There in the distance of a sloping mountain stood a set of Saguaro cacti and Ocotillo trees, silhouetted against the backround twilight sky. The sketch was not made on site, it would take me forever and the setting conjunction only had another 20 to 25 minutes before it was gone. A rough sketch was in order, jotting down pertinent objects and annotating further details like; varying colors of the twilight sky, degree of earthshine on the Moon and so on.
I made I mistake!
Well, in choosing my paper grade, I got a Canson 12″ x 18” / 30 x 45 cm. with a slight texture finish on the surface. I was loving the results as I first lay down the sky colors but, later on, I was noticing that there were tiny uncolored pockets left uniformly. I continued anyhow, but it would give a hard time later when I added the comet. Some of those pockets were as big as the comet itself and would render it almost invisible. Well, I worked around it until I was satisfied. I might have given PanSTARRS one full magnitude more than necessary but, I’ll do it for the sake of showing it. Out in the field, remember, you had to squint your eyes or avertedly look for it, if you knew its whereabouts.
Dang iphone!
Convenience over quality. I cheated by not connecting my scanner to the computer and instead took a picture of the sketch. Once on my phone, I messed with the exposure and contrast to liven up the colors somewhat. I also used it to put some text at the bottom of the sketch along with my name. Well, you be the judge!
I send you here attached a collection of sketches made by the members of the Hungarian Astronomical Association (Magyar Csillagászati Egyesület). We have 42 members this year learning how to observe and sketch astronomical objects who are all very keen to learn. These sketches have been made after movies of Jupiter and Venus, so the observation circumstances were realistic.
I collected the best sketches and put together to see how skillful they are without many practice beforehand.
I went to Japan to observe a solar annular eclipse. (My hometown is Korea.)
This picture is the moment of annular eclipse, the gold ring and the surrounding landscape.
An exciting day under the Sun. Observing with both a Coronado PST h-alpha & white light 8” Dob fitted with a 3.5” solar filter. Sketches were made at the eyepiece(s).
Seeing was good to excellent. After sketching details of the 4 sunspot groups I could readily see with the PST, I noticed one of the plages (bright spots) on the 1513 sunspot brightening intensely. As it brightened the bottom portion (to the South) of the plage developed a greenish/blue hued widening irregularity. There was also a linear band that extended from the widening directly to the center of sunspot 1513. Above the sunspot there appeared a filament which I tried to capture as well in my sketch. Within 5 minutes the dark patch was gone. From some research and asking more experienced friends, I believe I witnessed a solar flare, probably a minor one but still very exciting. I have been observing with the PST for over a month now, but this was a first for me. The plages around all the major sunspots continued to brighten & fade during the observation period, but none to the intensity of 1513. The PST was loaned to me by a friend after my excitement over white light observing. It’s a wonderful instrument showing many features of the Sun not evident in white light solar filters.
Solar prominences on the limb were also detailed today with the larger one appearing as somewhat of a vortex shape, while another more north prominence appeared as a broken loop. I had observed yesterday & did not see this broken loop then.
I moved to white light observing & could see much greater detail in all the sunspots, including many that did not show up well with the PST.
White light filters are primarily for observing details of the photosphere (like sunspots, facule & granulation), where h-alpha narrow bandwidth shows detail in the chromosphere. The chromosphere or “sphere of color” is the second of the three main layers in the Suns atmosphere and is roughly 2,000 kilometers deep. It sits just above the photosphere, and below the corona.
I am in love with the ever changing face of the sun. I am sometimes tired at night by the time the sky clears but the morning is always mine!
Coronado PST 40mm
9mm Plossl 44X
8” Dob w/ masked 3.5” Astro Baader Solar filter (homemade)
25mm Plossl 48X
