As the 11 day old waxing gibbous moon approached the meridian, I was able to easily search the terminator in a standing position at the eyepiece to find a suitable sketching target. Target located, I began my sketch near the end of evening twilight. The 110 km. diameter floor fractured crater Gassendi was right on the terminator. The central peak was just touched by morning sunlight as were the tallest portions of the western rim across the blackness of the chasmic floor. The unilluminated portion of the south rim is tilted and facing the center of Mare Humorum. This large 3.7 billion year old crater has on its rim to the north a 33 km. crater known as Gassendi A which is mimicking the rim illumination of the former save the central peak. A small portion of the eastern wall of Gassendi B (26 km.) was also visible north and west of A.
Sketching:
For this sketch I used: black Strathmore 400 Artagain paper, white and black Conte’ pastel pencils and a blending stump. Brightness was slightly decreased after scanning.
Telescope: 10 inch f/ 5.7 Dobsonian and 6mm eyepiece 241x Date: 6-26-2007 2:15-3:10 UT
Temperature: 26° C (78° F)
Hazy, 88% humidity
Seeing: Antoniadi II- III
Colongitude: 40.2 °
Lunation: 10.96 days
Illumination: 81.3 %Frank McCabe
Outstanding. I observed this lunar sunrise also from a nice, dark camping site in NM and was drawn repeatedly towards Gassendi. I’m glad you captured it; I was too transfixed to set pencil to paper!
-Andy
This sketch is a masterpiece! Well done Frank!