Astronomy Sketch of the Day – Page 233 – Drawings and sketches of an astronomical nature

Tilt of the Brim

Saturn
Sketch and Details by Paul Abel

Hi there,

My name is Paul Abel and I’m a visual amateur astronomer here in Leicester UK. I produce all my observations by sketching and a recent Jupiter sketch of mine will be appearing in the Stargazerslounge.com calendar for 2009. I was wondering if you’d like some of my sketches for your website? It’s really good to see a website in astronomy devoted to sketching; we have plenty devoted to CCD!

I have enclosed a Saturn sketch as an example. Sadly, it is not one of my best, but it is the only one I can lay my hands on at the moment!!!

Regards,

-Paul.

Webmaster’s note: Thanks Paul, this sketch is lovely, and by all means, we would very much enjoy featuring your sketches!
-Rich Handy

A Most Impressive Globular: Omega Centauri

Globular Cluster Omega Centauri
Sketch and Details by Janis Romer

Janis writes:

During the 1985 Astronomical League Convention in Tucson, Arizona local amateur astronomer Duane Nichaus held an open house at his home observatory. This “image” (sketch) was made using his 5.4” clear aperture F/15 folded refractor on the evening of June 18.

Deadly Moons

Three of the many “Deadly Moons”
Sketches by Irish childern, text by Deirdre Kelleghan

imageshttp://picasaweb.google.com/skysketcher/DeadlyMoonsInLibraries#

Here is a link showing a fraction of the moon drawings produced by Irish Children who took part in my Deadly Moons Art / astronomy drawing progam. When I show children the moon in my telescope they often say ” That’s Deadly ” meaning ” That’s cool” or That’s awesome, so when I wrote the program the title wrote itself almost.

The aim of the progam is to inform young children about the many wondeful moons in our solar system including our own facinatng moon. The chidren who produced the works were aged between six and twelve.

In most cases black paper and soft pastels were used. Some groups used crayons or felt pen on white paper. The majority of children were unaware that there are other moons besides our own. The majority of children did not know that there are robots in space.

All of the children enjoyed the program,the use of pastels and the total visual eperience. Every child learned something about moons and all had lots of fun using their imagination and creativity.

Deadly Moons is now available as a download from UNAWE ie Universe Awarness for Young Children. UNAWE is a cornerstone project for International Year of Astronomy 2009

Deirdre Kelleghan
President
Irish Astronomical Society 1937 – 2007
Public Relations Officer IFAS
Oscail do Shuile D’iontas na Cruinne
Open Your Eyes to the Wonder of the Universe

The Blue Snowball

NGC 7662, The “Blue Snowball”
Sketch and Details by Jeremy Perez

Observation Notes:

The ‘Blue Snowball’ nebula didn’t disappoint, and shone with a subtle cyan-green color when I aimed the Dob at it. It was elongated roughly north-south and had an uneven appearance. The main shell was shaped like a soft, round-edged pentagon. The east side was brightest, while the northwest side opened up to allow a darker intrusion into the nebula’s core. This brighter shell appeared to be surrounded by a slim, subtle halo. Although I could not see the central star, another neighboring star paired itself with the snowball, about 1 arc minute to the northeast. The nebula itself appeared to be about 30 arc seconds in diameter.

Object Information:

NGC 7662 was discovered by Friedrich Wilhelm Herschel in 1784. It is also cataloged as: PK106-17.1, H IV-18, h 2241, GC 4964, PN G106.5-17.6

Subject NGC 7662
Classification* Planetary Nebula (4(3))
Position* Andromeda [RA: 23:25:53.93 / Dec: +42:32:06.1]
Size* 32″ x 28″
Brightness* 8.3 vMag (9.2 bMag)
Date/Time OCT 29, 2008 – 10:30 PM MST (OCT 30, 2008 – 5:30 UT)
Observing Loc. Flagstaff, Arizona, USA – Home
Instrument Orion SkyQuest XT8 (203 mm dia./1200 mm F/L)
Eyepieces/Mag. 10 mm Sirius Plössl (120X) + 2X Barlow (240X)
Conditions Clear, calm
Seeing 5/10 Pickering
Transparency ~ Mag 6.5 NELM
*References NGCIC.org

A Full Quarter

8 Day Old Moon
Sketch and Details by Frank McCabe

This was my last chance in very pleasant unseasonable weather to comfortably capture the entire visible lunar surface at once. I drew this moon sketch on a long 7” x 14” piece of Strathmore 400 Artagain paper with the aid of an 8” protractor for the initial semicircle. After I finished the drawing, I made a background change that Rony DeLaet taught me to do with a previous whole moon sketch. I added a larger black background by first darkening the sketch electronically with Microsoft Office Picture Manager by a value of -5. I then pasted the image to a black background using Microsoft Paint. To draw this sketch I needed a small scope so I used the finder scope of my 18” which doubles as a 4.25” f / 5 Dobsonian. Some of my favorite views of the moon have been witnessed with this little scope. With the moon at 48% illumination the curvature of the terminator in this very late waxing crescent phase was just discernable and gave the moon a slight 3-D effect at the eyepiece. The large crater Maginus is the one poking out beyond the terminator near the top of this south up sketch.

Sketching:
For this sketch I used: black Strathmore 400 Artagain paper, white and black Conte’
pastel pencils and a blending stump and my index finger too. Brightness was reduced by a value of -5 (using Microsoft OfficePicture Manager) after scanning.
Telescope: 4.25 inch f/ 5 Dobsonian and 21mm eyepiece 26x

Date: 11-05-2008 to 11-06-2008 / 23:00-1:00 UT
Temperature: 20° C (68° F)
Partly cloudy, breezy
Seeing: Antoniadi III
Colongitude: 3.5 °
Lunation: 7.99 days
Illumination: 48.0 %

Clown or Eskimo?

The Clown Face Planetary Nebula NGC 2392
Sketch by Serge Vieillard, text by Frank McCabe

The Clown Face Planetary Nebula NGC 2392

Sketch by Serge Vieillard

The brightest planetary nebula in the constellation of Gemini is NGC 2392. You may call it the Clown Face or Eskimo Nebula but whatever designation you use this is an impressive sketch that shows the fine filaments visible across the face. Serge Vieillard used the 24 inch Cassegrain telescope in the French Alps at St. Veran Observatory to make this detailed close up sketch in October of 2008. Our perspective has us looking down the maw of this planetary that was measured to be about 1060 years old just a few years back. The central star is magnitude 10.5 and the nebula is visual magnitude 9.1. This planetary can be found at: R.A. 7hrs. 29min. 10.5 sec., Dec. +20° 54’ 42”

Floor Fractured Fracastorius

Lunar Crater Fracastorius
Sketch and Sketch Data by Bognár Tamás, text by Rich Handy

Located on the southern shore of Mare Nectaris, the lava flooded 112 km Fracastorius forms a prominent bay in this superb sketch by Hungarian amateur astronomer Bognár Tamás. Although Little remains of the magnificent terraces that once encircled it’s floor, Fracastorius sports several prominent rilles, and it is classified as a Floor Fractured Crater.

The data of the drawing:
Fracastorius
Telescope: 3″ F/11 Newton and 7,5 mm Super Plossl eyepiece
Date: 10-18-2008 UT 20:30-21:00
Co-longitude: 141,8°
Observing Location: Zakany – Hungary, 46° 15′ N 16° 57’E elev.: 129m

Galaxy NGC 5236 (M83) A Sketch and Return Visit

Galaxy NGC 5236 (M83)
Sketch and Details by Kiminori Ikebe

This galaxy is situated near the boundary of Hydra and Centaurs. It is a bright large barred-spiral, famous among the Messier objects. According to some sources, spiral arms should be visible but I have not seen them yet. Due to its low southern position, it is difficult to observe under excellent conditions. This sketch was made under less-than-perfect transparency.
A star-like, blurred nucleus stands out at the center. It is surrounded by extensive halo which shows uniform surface brightness without central brightening. The halo extends to the southwest and northeast direction, which indicates the presence of a bar structure, but it is not clearly visible. With careful observation the halo looks fan-shaped open to the northeast and north. A faint region is detected in the south. When checked against photographs, there should be two counter-clockwise arms around the halo I had sketched. Note* there is a second sketch:

Galaxy NGC 5236 (M83) second sketch
Sketch and Details by Kiminori Ikebe

*In the second sketch made 5 years later under darker sky conditions, using a larger telescope and higher magnification the features such as the bar and spiral arms are clearly visible.

NGC 5236 (M83) Hya galaxy Difficulty level 2

Date of observation: 1997/02/01 04:25
Observing site:
Transparency/seeing/sky darkness: 2/2/3
Instruments: 32cm Dobsonian with TPL10.5 at 150x
Width of field: 0.3°

M83 (NGC 5236) Hya galaxy Difficulty level 2

Date of observation: 2002/02/16 04:29
Observing site: Kujyu
Transparency/seeing/sky darkness: 3/1/4
Instruments: 50cm Dobsonian with RA10 at 220x
Width of field: 0.2°

(I added the note because I felt these sketches should be posted together.

Frank McCabe)

The Finger of God

“The Finger of God”, western Veil complex
Sketch and Details by Robert Twarogal (Ignisdei)

Now I want to present a sketch, that was never publicated in internet. A western part of the Veil Complex, known as he Witch’s Broom Nebula, but I rather prefer other, rare used name, ( less formally ) of this extremely beautiful object: The Finger of God.
A veil nebula especially western part of it, is a marvellous conglomerate of fibres frayed matter.
This complex is a large object, so I usually use my lowest-power eyepiece : Swan 40mm witch nebular filter UB in Newton 305mm
I could spend hours in watching this unusual, extraordinary spectacle, which make me out of touch with reality.

Object Name : The Finger of God, NGC 6960 – Western part of Veil Nebula (Ignisdei)
Object Type: Nebulae/emission/reflection
Location: Poland/ Oborniki/suburbia
Date: 29.09.2008 y,
Equipment: Synta 305/1500, UB”, SWAN 2″ 40mm

Lunar Protozoan?

Crater Schiller
Sketch and Details by Frank McCabe

Crater Schiller

Looking much like the outline of the famous paramecium protozoan from high school biology class, crater Schiller is an elongated Nectarian period feature (3.7 billion years old) and a standout in the highlands of the southwestern quadrant. This crater is oriented southeast to northwest and measures 180 kilometers long and 70 kilometers at its widest. The floor is mostly flat and lava flooded with two short lines of mountains to the northwest. The illuminated inner wall displayed ridges and terraces at the eyepiece. South and west is the Schiller Annular Plain near the edge of the Schiller-Zucchius basin’s outermost ring. How this crater came to have such an elongated shape has been the subject of several speculative hypotheses. The front runner as to a cause that produced the elongated shape is the gradual descent of a lunar moonlet that struck the moon at high velocity breaking into pieces before the grazing angle impact. The lunar orbiter images of this crater look like the coalescence of three combined impacts. East of Schiller you see craters Rost (51 km.) and Rost A (39 km.). Just north of Schiller is crater Bayer (49 km.) with a small craterlet on its southern floor.
Point your telescope at Schiller on the next moon filled night and have a first hand look.

Sketching:
For this sketch I used: off-white copy paper 8.5”x 11”, 2H, HB, 4B graphite pencils, also a white pastel pencil, eraser shield and pink pearl eraser at the eyepiece.

Telescope: 10 inch f/ 5.7 Dobsonian and 9mm eyepiece 161x
Date: 11-11-2006 1:20-2:30 UT
Temperature: 10°C (50°F)
Clear 0°C (32° F)
Seeing: Antoniadi III
Colongitude: 65.5 °.
Lunation: 13 days
Illumination: 93.2 %