Category: Naked eye

Partial Lunar Eclipse Over the Sonoran Desert

Object : Moon/ Partial Lunar Eclipse
Date : June 26, 2010
Time : 04:45 LST / 11:45 UT
Location : Wickenburg Arizona USA
Instrument : Naked eye observation
Weather : Moderate winds, cool upper 70’s , clear skies and the glow of the
semi-eclipsed Moon.
Medium : Acrylic paint on canvas paper 8.5 x 11

Comments :
This was my chance, I’ve wanted to do this acrylic paint since quite a while
back! I figured since the Moon will shed some light on the subject, I might
as well take advantage of the situation. At first, I didn’t know how big to
go on the canvas since I wanted to put some detail on the eclipsed Moon. Too
big and I might just make a weekend project out of something simple. So, I
settled for an 8.5 x 11 inch, which would make it easy for me to scan and
upload without to much hassle.

I framed my view next to a Saguaro cactus and set myself so that if I
painted the foreground first, the Moon will still be in the vicinity of my
selected view within an hour or so later. Shortly after 10:00 UT, I noticed
the Moon began to creep into the Earth’s shadow but that was not the time
for me to immortalize it on canvas just yet. I didn’t know how hard this
task was going to become but I realized it was going to be trickier than I
had anticipated. After brushing away on the static vegetation for almost an
hour and keeping an eye on the Moon that kept inching closer to the horizon,
I had to act on it ‘pronto’.

The full Strawberry Moon lay there tranquil and serene but being eaten away
by the umbral darkness. I noticed the shadow working its way from Mare
Frigoris and moving down onward into part of Oceanus Procellarum, all of
Mare Imbrium and Mare Serenitatis, and a portion of Mare Tranquilitatis and
Mare Fecunditatis. At this point, I would say the Moon was about 40 percent
covered while it would still go on to cover for a total of 50 percent or so.
While this was a naked eye session, I still carried my 12 x 60’s just for
kicks. I noticed through the binoculars that the Northern part of the Moon
had a pinkish to copper hue along that edge. I thought perhaps half the Moon
would turn red orange but that wasn’t the case, I guess I’ll have to wait
until December of this year to get that effect when we get the entire lunar
eclipse! : D

Wishing you dark and clear nights!
Juanchin

Earth, Moon and Jupiter Conjuction

Moon july 4th 2010.jpg
Object Name : Earth, Moon and Jupiter
Object Type : Solar System
Instrument Used : Naked Eye
Location :
Date : July 4th 2010
Time : 2:45am local
Conditions : seeing 3/6, no clouds, a little dew
Media : Created a field sketch of this scene in my observing journal with pen and ink. The next day, I sketched the view with pastel pencils and black paper.
Description: The evening’s observations are drawing to a close when I notice the outline of the trees in the distance. Is that ghostly outline caused by the light of a gibbous moon? Then I realize that civil twilight is only two hours away. The light in the east is not due to the moon – but due to the sun.

Justin Modra

Why We Sketch

Why We Sketch
Why We Sketch
By Frank McCabe

As the sunset begins to open the view deeper into the darkness of our universe; those of us who sketch the nighttime sky are drawn out to our favorite targets for a view of the glory. Why do we sketch the stars, galaxies, nebulae, planets, moon and in the daytime the sun? We do it because it is a most creative outlet for our interest in astronomy. It is a proactive way to improve our visual observational enjoyment. As a result of sketching we create for ourselves a more critical observers eye and take deeper, longer looks at the multitude of visible targets in this universe we all share.
Astrophotography is another avenue often pursued by the amateur observer but with sketching there is an attempt to duplicate the view at the eyepiece which is not the same as a captured photographic image. The differences are all well and good with many amateurs enjoying one or the other or both.
With a sketch we have a visual hand drawn record which can be used to supplement a written log. It can bring us right back to a specific observation in the years ahead. We also have many choices of media to record what we see, including traditional types and electronic as well. Sketching is fun and challenging and we don’t need any special skills to get started.
If you feel as I do, you take great pleasure in seeing the many sketches posted here and elsewhere by astronomers from around the world sitting or standing at the eyepiece of an instrument or even without one recording the beauty they see in the nighttime sky.
This is my tribute to sketchers here and elsewhere sharing our personal view of the heavens.

Sketch:

Naked eye drawing
Sky conditions were good for transparency
Date and Time: 5/12/2010; 2:25 -2:55 UT
9″ x 12″ white Strathmore Windpower smooth Bristol paper, # 2HB, # 4HB graphite pencils, powdered brown and yellow Crayola colored pencils, light blue colored pencil, white Conte’ pastel, gum eraser.
After scanning the drawing was cropped and inverted Using Microsoft Office Picture Manager, brightness was increased +1 during scanning.

Frank McCabe

Eskimo or Clown

NGC 2392

NGC 2392
Sketch and Details by Stefano Delmonte

NGC 2392 planetary nebula in Gemini
Location:  Priorato , one of the most prestigious wine zone of Spain!
13-march.2010

Graphite pencil one white paper, then with photoshop: inverted and rounded stars.

I use sketching in order to show and record in one image all the information the retina can catch in a large observing session.

The night that the association I’m part of organized the Messier marathon, I decided to be a bad boy and move to NGC.
The reason were a good seeing, a brief look at Mars confirm an Antoniadi III , the best part of sky is always zenith and there were NGC2392  waiting to be explored at good conditions.
At first either the central star and the double shell were easily seen, but only after more than 30 minutes observing, the “face” orientation did appear.
I didn’t care too much about what resemble because at the end of all an exploded star is really a fantastic sight anyway!

Ciao, Stefano.

In Flight through the Milky Way to Andromeda

Milky Way
Milky Way and Andromeda Galaxy
Sketch and Details by Patrick Van Beeck

The milky way and the stunning great galaxy of andromeda
38000 feet over north western Italy
Feb 7th, 2010

This sketch was made at an altitude of 38000 feet over the north western Italian coastline enroute to Paris in an Airbus 319 cruising at 455 kts groundspeed.
The views from the cockpit at night can be truly amazing, the reason being that 70% of the atmospheres mass is below us! Giving a crystal clear view of the sky almost right down to the horizon. What stuns me every winter, is the size of the blob of the andromeda galaxy almost as big as the moon!

This sketch was made digitally with photoshop

Enjoy this nightly cruise with me as the atmosphere rushes by…

Patrick Van Beeck

Crescent Moon and Earthshine

Crescent Moon
Crescent Moon and Earthshine
Sketch and details by Carlos E. Hernandez

I was able to observe the Waning Crescent Moon (27.6 days old) above the eastern horizon covered by pastel bluish-lavender clouds and an orange strip on December 14, 2009 (11:10 U.T.). The Moon was spectacular as it displayed a thin bright white sliver and earthshine was very prominent over the un-illuminated portion. I hope that others were able to view this scene as well.

A digital image produced in Pixelmator.

Carlos E. Hernandez

Moon over Armagh

Moon over Armagh
Moon over Armagh on Christmas Eve
Sketch and Details by Miruna Popescu

This painting depicts how the southern sky looks on 24 December 2009 at 5.30 pm, when the Moon’s phase reaches first quarter. The next brightest celestial object at this time is the planet Jupiter, which this year is the “Christmas Star” for the Royal School, Armagh. Jupiter is seen here just before it disappears behind the school. The painting shows stars in Pisces, Pegasus, Aquarius and other constellations, and the location of the planet Uranus (visible through a telescope) about a third of the way from the Moon to Jupiter. Uranus was found in 1781 (seven years after the old building of the Royal School was completed) by the astronomer and musician William Herschel, the discovery constituting the first identification of a planet since ancient times and earning Herschel the post of King’s astronomer from George III.

In 1609, the year after the founding of the Royal School, Galileo Galilei used an early telescope to map the Moon and discover satellites of Jupiter. To mark the 400th anniversary of Galileo’s first use of the telescope to observe the sky, 2009 is being celebrated worldwide as the International Year of Astronomy.

Dr Miruna Popescu from Armagh Observatory is the coordinator for the International Year of Astronomy 2009 in Ireland.

Fiery Mane of the Lion

Fiery Mane of the Lion

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″

The Young Desert Moon

The Young Desert Moon

The Young Desert Moon Just Past Sunset
Sketch and Details by Frank McCabe

The Young Desert Moon Just Past Sunset

I just returned to the cloudy Midwest this afternoon from a brief trip to Mesa, Arizona. On the evening of October 19th the beautiful sunset had just occurred and the search for the young waxing crescent moon began in earnest. A quick turn to the eastern sky and the dark portion of the Belt of Venus could be seen 3° above the horizon. Looking back to the southwestern horizon I spotted the 1.8 day old, 3.8% illuminated moon in the golden green glow in that part of the sky at 6:08pm local time (1:08 UT October 20, 2009).
While the sun was setting, I began to sketch the scene using a piece of copy paper and a number 2 pencil. I took careful notes on the sky colors, positions of trees, cactus and roof tops of homes in Sunland Village East where I was sitting while I made this pencil sketch. After arriving back in Oak Forest, Illinois, I converted the pencil sketch and notes into an oil pastel drawing on to white sketching paper.
I did not have access to a telescope at the time of this sketch but if I did I would have been looking at craters Neper, Gauss and Phillips the latter two along the lunar terminator and the former near the illuminated limb.

Sketching:

For this sketch I used: medium weight white CPP sketching paper 9″x 12″,
Grumbacher oil pastels, blending stumps, plastic eraser, and a razor blade, redrawn from a graphite pencil sketch and notes
Telescope: none
Observation Date: 10-19-2009, 6:00-6:45 local time
Temperature: 32°C (90°F)
Clear, calm, warm
Seeing: very good
Lunation number 1074
Lunar age 1.82 days
Illumination 3.8 %

Mesa, Arizona

Frank McCabe

The Moon and Jupiter at Dusk

The Moon and Jupiter at Dusk

Moon and Jupiter at End of September 2009
Sketch and Details by Carlos E. Hernandez

I was able to view a conjunction (or appulse) of the Waxing Gibbous Moon (10.8 days old) and Jupiter on September 30, 2009 (00:00 U.T., 8 PM EDT) over my southern sky. The Moon (-12.45mag.) and Jupiter (-2.67mag.) were very striking but the presence of clouds containing ice crystals, which produced a pastel reddish-pink and orange colors semi-halo, made it spectacular! I hope that others were able to view the event as well.

A digital image produced in Gimp 2.6.7

Carlos E. Hernandez