Mars on November 8th, 2009
Sketch and Details by Frank McCabe
November nights are typically the cloudiest nights of the entire year in the Chicago area. Last evening and early this morning the transparency and seeing were both pretty good despite the high humidity (80%) and temperatures approaching the dew point. Mars has already become a good target for high power examination through telescopes at 8.3″ of arc. Mars at 104.6 million miles away is still farther from us than the sun but we are catching up. I observed the planet not too far from the Beehive (M 44) with the central meridian at 220° shining at magnitude 0.6.
The gibbous phase of the planet was clearly evident as was the North Polar Cap, Utopia, and Maria Cimmerium and Tyrrhenum.
Mars on November 8th, 2009 (labeled)
Sketch and Details by Frank McCabe
Sketching: White sketching paper 8″ x 10″; 4B, HB, and 2H Graphite pencils; I used my fingers and a blending stump for blending. No adjustment after scanning was needed.
Date 11/8/2009 – Time 9:40-10:50 UT
Telescope: 10 inch f/5.7 Dobsonian and 4mm eyepiece 360x
Temperature: 9°C (49°F)
clear, calm
Transparency 4/5
Seeing: Pickering 8/10
Frank McCabe
Frank,
I like it. 🙂
Is it possible to draw and show fine sketch without
hocus-pocus with computer software?
Yes! We can see it, here.
Respect
Marek
Very nice work Frank, truly representative of the eyepiece view through larger scopes right now.
Well done & thanks for sharing. Dale 🙂
Marek and Dale,
Thank you both for your kind comments about my Mars sketch. It will be a great target on clear winter nights.
Frank 🙂