Category: Colored Pastels

Gleam of the Hunter’s Sword

Gleam of the Hunter’s Sword

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)

A Remarkable Star of the Southern Hemisphere

Eta Carina

The dying star, Eta Carina
Sketch by Serge Viellard, text by Frank McCabe

During his vacation trip to Namibia in March of 2009 with the 400cm. travel scope at high power, Serge captured this close up sketch of the asymmetrical orange lobes on each side of the dying star Eta Carina. Serge writes, “This sky is really extraordinary. I have above my head the most remarkable 3 nebulas of the sky with Orion beyond the zenith…”

Intensity, Energy, and Beauty

AR 1019

Solar h-alpha, Active Region 1019 on June 2nd, 2009
Sketch and Details by Deirdre Kelleghan

Active Region 1019
June 2nd 2009
PST 40 mm / 8mm TVP Up scaled by eye
Pastel, and Conte on black paper
11:00 UT

After several months of drawing tiny proms dancing on the solar limb I was thrilled to see an new active region forming. Experimenting with solar drawing is fun because it is a challenge to achieve accurate details as the view is so tiny. Solar granulation as seen in the h alpha is very difficult to depict. I will continue in pursuit of my goal accuracy in observing and depiction. Drawing helps me understand what I am looking at , which in turn helps me in my efforts to understand the sun.

Deirdre

The Young, Blue Pleiades

The Pleiades

Messier 45 – The Pleiades
Sketch and Details by Aleksander Cieśla

Sketch information:
Object: Messier 45 – The Pleiades
Scope: Binoculars 10×50
Place: Poland, Wroclaw – near city center
Weather: Good. Seeing 6/10. Light Pollution. Moon low over horizon.
Date: 6 February 2009.
Technique: Colored pastels on the navy blue paper
Tooling: N/A