Astronomy Sketch of the Day – Page 260 – Drawings and sketches of an astronomical nature

A Bite of the Pie

Total lunar eclipse, February 21, 2008
By Richard H.Handy

Sketch of Lunar Eclipse 022108
Last night’s lunar eclipse was not looking good for us southern California observers, as a trough of low pressure had ushered in a cold, wet Pacific storm, drenching the region in light showers. Knowing there would be no opportunity to set up any of my scopes for a sketch, I decided to try catching a naked eye view if there were any breaks in the clouds. Every 10 minutes or so, I stepped outside on the patio to see if Luna had made her appearance. I was beginning to lose hope when about 9:00 PST, a large cumulus cloud passed overhead leaving the Moon shining brilliantly less a slightly hazy black bite prominent in it’s northern hemisphere. I was very pleased because the opening in between the next set of clouds allowed about 7 or 8 minutes of sketching before closing the curtain on the show for the night. Although I missed the chromatic part of the eclipse, I felt happy to have come away with a memory, albeit just a sketch of a small part in this awesome drama of Sun, Earth, and Moon.

Sketch Details:

Subject: Naked eye view of the lunar eclipse on February 21, 2008

Time: 8:59 PST to 9:07 PST
Seeing: Antoniadi IV
Weather: Cloudy with intermittent light showers
Phase: 359.2 deg
Colongitude: 86 deg
Lunation: 14.05 Days
Notes: A perfect bite, a bit hazy about the edge
Medium: White Conte’ Crayon on black Strathmore Artagain paper
Sketch size: 9″ X 12″

Peekaboo Moon

Lunar Eclipse Montage February 21, 2008
By Carlos E. Hernandez

Lunar Eclipse Montage

I was fortunate to have viewed the lunar eclipse on February 21, 2008. I was scared that my weather would not allow me to observe this incredible phenomena of nature. It had been raining all day in South Florida and we were experiencing much cloud cover. I had all my fingers crossed for the event. Using my 11 x 56 Oberwerk binoculars, shortly after I arrived home from work I was treated to the northwest sector of the Moon with a “bite” in it (01:50 U.T.). The shadow of the Earth slowly crept upon the lunar orb and it was over half the Moon by 02:15 U.T. By 02:40 U.T. the shadow had developed a reddish-orange tinge to it and extended nearly three-quarters of the lunar globe. The Moon took on a reddish-orange glow by mid-eclipse at 03:00 U.T. I was clouded out shortly afterwards. I hope that others on the forum were able to view this beautiful event as well.

A set of digital renderings made using Photoshop CS3 (from left to right in U.T.; 01:15, 01:50, 02:40, and 03:00)

Carlos

Luna Dons a Red Dress

Lunar Eclipse 2008: a Sketch

By Frank McCabe

Lunar Eclipse 2008: a Sketch

I was favored tonight in two ways, clear skies and good location for the 2008 total
lunar eclipse. Beginning about 1:00 universal time prior to the beginning of the
umbral portion of the eclipse, I went outside to where I had set up to sketch the
total lunar eclipse. Using a HB graphite pencil on white sketching paper to which I had
earlier added a 15 cm diameter circle using an Alvin protractor, I sat down at the
eyepiece and drew in outline form a sketch of the maria and highland features of
the Moon. I finished in time to see all of the earth’s shadow passage to totality.

During totality I began sketching from the darkest side to the lightest. I decided
to use oil pastel crayons (Cray-Pas) which I have used a few times in the distant
past. Oil pastels are messy so when I returned indoors I needed to clean up some
stray marks. I prefer not to draw in color due to my limited experience. I
practiced with both oil pastels and drawing pencils about a week ago and since the
pastel experience went better in practice, that’s what I decided to use. I enjoyed
making this sketch, but I did feel a little rushed.

Sketching:

For this sketch I used: white sketching paper 8”x 10”, and a 2HB graphite pencil,
assorted colors of oil pastel crayons (Cray-Pas). I also used a piece of black
construction paper with a 15 cm hole cut from the center to create a dark sky
background.

Telescope: 4.25 inch f/ 5.0 Dobsonian and 26mm eyepiece – 21x
Date: 2-21-2008   3:01-3:50 UT
Temperature: -12°C (10°F)
Clear
Seeing: Pickering 5
Co longitude   85.2°
Lunation: 14 days
Illumination: 100% through the earth’s atmosphere

Frank McCabe

Tail of the Great Dog

NGC 2362, The Tau Canis Majoris Cluster
By Rony De Laet

A few months ago, Mark (Novbabies) suggested me to put NGC 2362 on my observing list. The object was unknown to me. The fact that it concerned a rather small open cluster which culminated only a poor 13° above my southern horizon, didn’t excite me at that time. But how wrong was my assumption! The Tau Canis Majoris Cluster turned out to one of the most enjoyable vistas in the sky. The cluster puts the observer to the test. The bright Tau outshines the fainter cluster members nearby. It’s hard to maintain night vision with Tau in the picture. NGC 2362 is a scintillating mix of brighter and fainter stars that swirls around Tau. With averted vision, more spots of unresolved starlight lit up around the cluster. And that’s only my impression with the cluster near horizon. I can only imagine how magnificant the cluster must shine when higher in the sky. Reproducing the cluster on a sketch is another challenge. I’ve made several attemps to try to bring justice to the cluster, but I fell short. I tried to mimic the contrast between the bright Tau Canis Majoris and the swirling group of faint stars around it. I promised myself not to use too much glare on the sketch, but it’s hard to find the right balance. There’s nothing that beats the real thing! So if the sketch pleases you, do try to go out to see the cluster for yourself. You won’t be dissapointed. And thanks Mark for the suggestion in the first place.

Date : February 6, 2008
Time : around 21.30UT
Scope : Skywatcher 102/500
Eyepiece : Hyperion Zoom at 8 mm
Power : x63
FOV: 65′
Filter : none
Seeing : 3/5
Transp. : 2,5/5
Nelm : 4,8
Sketch Orientation : N up, W right.
Digital sketch made with PhotoPaint, based on a raw pencil sketch.

Majestic Copernicus Crater

Lunar Crater Copernicus
By Frank McCabe

Across the Carpathian Mountains resting on the eastern Ocean of Storms is the
landmark crater of the Sea of Islands, mighty Copernicus. Copernicus is a 95
kilometer diameter complex crater that begins to show itself in all its majesty
two days past first quarter. During the time of “Snow-ball Earth” 800 million
years ago the event that created Copernicus suddenly occurred. What remains is a
3.8 kilometer deep hummock covered flat floored, centrally peaked, terrace walled
spectacular sentinel. Especially during high sun the bright ray system of this
crater can be seen extending from the base of the glassy glacis in all directions.
The descent from the rampart to the mare floor below is about one kilometer. Three
of five peaks were clearly visible in morning sunlight. In 1999 the Clementine
near infrared camera detected magnesium iron silicates in the peaks indicating
rebound of this deep rock through the surface crust following the impact event.
To view this impressive crater all you need is a good pair of binoculars and an
opportunity between two days past first quarter and one day past last quarter.
Weather permitting you can see it tonight.

Sketching:

For this sketch I used: black Strathmore 400 Artagain paper, 9”x 12”, white and
black Conte’pastel pencils and a blending stump. Brightness was slightly decreased
and contrast increased after scanning using Microsoft Office Picture Manager.

Telescope: 10 inch f/5.7 Dobsonian and 6mm eyepiece 241x
Date: 2-16-2008 8:45 – 10:50 UT (actual sketching time was 60min.)
Temperature: -10°C (14°F)
clear, calm
Seeing: Antoniadi III
Co longitude: 24°
Lunation: 9 days
Illumination: 71.9 %
Phase: 64°

Frank McCabe

McNaught’s Synchronic Bands

McNaught’s Synchronic Bands (Charcoal above and Conte’ below)
By Jeremy Perez

Well, just when I thought this amazing comet would finish the rest of it’s presence in the southern hemisphere as a spectacle I would only be able to enjoy through photos, it pulled another surprise. Remnants of its huge tail began to be observed by observers in the northern hemisphere. A very rare feature, sometimes called synchronic bands, began to appear and to drift away from the sun. For those in the southern hemisphere, this makes for an unbelievably gorgeous sight in the evening sky. For those of us in the mid-northern latitudes, it presents an opportunity revisit this beauty for a bit longer.

After analyzing various recent photos of the comet from the southern hemisphere, I printed out a star chart, and marked the area in Piscis Austrinus where the most northern segments of the tail fragments were last imaged. I printed out a couple more sheets to take with me for sketches, and headed north of town to escape more stubborn clouds. After a 30 mile drive to Wupatki National Monument, I entered the park and drove in search of a parking spot with a good view of the western horizon. About 4 miles down the empty park road, I was surprised–but then again maybe not too surprised–to find Brent Archinal parked along the side of the road with his tripod and camera set up. Whaddaya know! So I set up next to him and waited for twilight to darken while enjoying a beautiful view of Venus and the crescent Moon setting together.

By about 6:50 PM with the sun about 14 degrees below the horizon, and the head of the comet 19 degrees below, a bright spoke began to show itself midway between Fomalhaut and Venus. It was amazingly long–about 20 – 25 degrees from the horizon up to Phi Aquarii. As the sky darkened more, and the Zodiacal Light became very prominent, more bands began to appear in a fan running from Piscis Austrinus through much of Aquarius. I finished shooting several photos at 7:05 PM when my batteries ran out. (I’m all about great planning.) I then spent the next half hour sketching every bit I could detect, which turned out to be a very good investment. My photos didn’t turn out well at all, and the sketches showed much more detail than the best shot (which can be seen below).

You’ll notice not one, but two sketches above. Both make use of a pre-printed star chart from Starry Night Pro so that I could concentrate on the comet tails during the limited time before it set. The first is a charcoal sketch using a chamois to blend in the zodiacal light and skyglow above the horizon. I then used a blending stump to add the synchronic bands. The second sketch is made with Conté pencil on black Strathmore Artagain paper. I traced the stars onto the paper from the same starchart, and then used a blending stump to add both the Zodiacal Light and synchronic bands (since the Chamois didn’t seem to work so well there). I’m definitely partial to the results of the first charcoal sketch. The Conté sketch does look better in person though.

Subject C/2006 P1 (McNaught) – Synchronic Bands
Classification Comet Tail Fragments
Position* Through Piscis Austrinus and Aquarius
Size Longest Segment: ~25°
Brightness –
Date/Time January 20, 2007, 07:00 – 07:40 PM MST
(January 21, 2007, 02:00 – 02:40 UT)
Observing Loc. Wupatki National Monument, AZ
Instrument Naked Eye
Eyepieces/Mag. –
Conditions Clear, breezy
Seeing –
Transparency ~ Mag 6.8+ NELM
*Sources Starry Night Pro Plus v. 5.8

Comet, Moon, and Mars

Comet 17/P Holmes, the Moon and Mars
By Carlos Hernandez

I was treated to a rare (at least these days in South Florida with our cloudy weather and tropical storms nearby) clearing of the heavens over the northern sky on October 30, 2007 (07:20 U.T.). I was able to view Comet Holmes (17P) in Perseus (~3.8 degrees from Alpha Persei (Mirfak, 1.78 m)) and I was impressed with the brightness of this interloper (Comet Holmes is currently estimated at magnitude 2.0). Capella (0.06 m) in Auriga was shining brightly nearby. The Waning Gibbous Moon (19.5 days old) was visible towards the east within Gemini close to a brilliant reddish-orange Mars (-0.58 m). The view was facing south and looking upwards (North at top and east to the left).

A digital image produced in Corel Painter X.

The best of luck in your own observations of this interesting comet.

Carlos

Attracting an Extragalactic Visitor

Messier M79 in Lepus
By Rony De Laet

Here is an observation of M79. From my location, the object rises only 15° above the horizon. 15° sounds like a solid number, but it is not when tried out in the field. I was surprised to find M79 easy at low power. The sketch is made at 63x. The core appears almost stellar. One faint star was visible with averted vision N of the globular.

Date : February 5, 2008
Time : around 20.30UT
Scope : Skywatcher 102/500
Eyepiece : Hyperion Zoom at 8mm
Power : x63
FOV: 65′
Filter : none
Seeing : 2,5/5
Transp. : 2,5/5
Nelm : 4,8
Sketch Orientation : N up, W right.
Digital sketch made with PhotoPaint, based on a raw pencil sketch.

Dogging the Sun

The Sun in h-alpha, February 16, 2008
By Erika Rix

2008 02 16

Sun in h-alpha

PCW Memorial Observatory, 40.01/-81.56

Erika Rix

There were several prominences scattered about the limb, visible at different
magnifications. I’ve concentrated at the NNE one, which also had a very small reach
in front of the disk when I tweaked the Etalon.

I should have sketched this area larger, or sharpened my pencils better. There was
so much detail within it that my white pencils were too blunt to render them
properly.

With the hunters and their dogs in the fields and woods in front of our observatory,
I wasn’t keen on hanging out too long for more sketches. Thankfully I could close
the door to keep Riser in the observatory with me. As it was, he was antsy, moving
around a lot and making noises…very distracting.

Sketches rendered on black Strathmore Artagain paper, white Conte’ pencil and
crayon, white Prang pencil.

In the Last Rays of the Day

Lunar craters Aristoteles and Eudoxus
By Frank McCabe

Aristoteles and Eudoxus

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 6 and 4 mm eyepiece 241 and 362X
Date: 6-6-2007 9:05-10:00 UT
Temperature: 8° C (47° F)
Clear, calm
Seeing: Antoniadi II-III
Colongitude: 158.7 °
Lunation: 20.6 days
Illumination: 72.7 %
Frank McCabe