Pen and Ink – Page 12 – Astronomy Sketch of the Day

ESO 350-40 Cartwheel Galaxy

ESO 350-40
Hover mouse over image to view labels
Sketch and Details by Scott Mellish

ESO 350-40
The “Cartwheel Galaxy”
Ring Galaxy
Ilford NSW Australia
13/12/09
56cm f5 Dobsonian telescope
Field: 27′
218x magnification
Sky Quality Meter reading 21:76

Black Canford paper
White oil pencil
White pen
White pastel chalk

The enigmatic Cartwheel Galaxy is a tough enough object to observe let alone sketch.
During a nice clear night in December I made an attempt to sketch it as accurately as possible to the actual eyepiece view, and I was reasonably pleased with the end result.

The trouble with the Cartwheel is that it is quite faint and ill defined in most amateur telescopes, as averted vision is required to capture glimpses of the more subtle features of the object.

To sum up the galaxy is visible as a soft oval glow some 2.0′ x 2.0′ in size, with the two unusual companion galaxies around 1.3′ to the left as can be seen in the sketch.
Another galaxy some 2.0′ above and slightly to the left of the companions was also visible, this galaxy has no relationship with the Cartwheel.

Sculptor was getting a bit low in the west whilst I was doing this sketch, but it was possible during moments of steady seeing and using averted vision to just barely make out the ring structure, but it was very faint.

I could not detect any hint of the “spokes” as seen in the Hubble image, but with a larger scope and steadier seeing they could quite possibly be a chance.

The brighter more active star forming region of the galaxy was discernible as a slightly mottled curved patch some 1.6′ x 0.4′ in size, as can be seen slightly off center to the lower right.

I have included a duplicate reference sketch for those unfamiliar with this elusive and very rare object.

Scott Mellish

Messier 46 and NGC 2438

Messier 46 and NGC 2438
Sketch and Details by Paul Byrne

This was rendered with a fine point pen for the stars, the nebula was sketched with charcoal and blending stump.

I observed the cluster through a 305mm Orion Newtonian and 13mm Nagler. The date was 9th January 2010 at 01.12 UT, it was very cold with a sharp northerly wind, the temperature was well below freezing.

The nebula was not visible until an O-III filter was inserted and it popped into view.

Thanks for your time.

Paul

NGC 6302 – The Bug Nebula

NGC 6302 – The Bug Nebula
Sketch and Details by Scott Mellish

NGC 6302 “The Bug Nebula”
Planetary Nebula
Sagittarius
19/09/09
Ilford NSW Australia
56cm f5 dobsonian
Field: 15′
Magnification: 314x
Sky Quality Meter reading: 21:38

Black Canford paper
White pen
White pencil
White pastel chalk
Blending stump

It had been a while since I visited the Bug Nebula.
As Sagittarius was getting a bit low in the west I thought I might catch it before it went behind the trees.
I was pleased with the eyepiece view and remembered the Hubble image of it.

While the Hubble image wins hands down with subtle detail, the view through a large aperture dob is certainly nothing to be ashamed of.

Scott Mellish

47 Tucanae

NGC 104 / 47 Tucanae
Sketch and Details by Scott Mellish

NGC 104/ 47 Tucanae
Globular Cluster
Ilford NSW Australia
17/10/09
56cm f5 Dobsonian Telescope
Field: 17′
Magnification: 354x
Sky Quality Meter reading: 21:78

White pen
Soft white pencil
Hard white pencil
White pastel chalk

I have made numerous attempts at sketching this remarkable globular cluster over the years, mostly in small telescopes at low power where it is just a bright ball. At higher magnification in my 56cm dob it is a vastly different object.

I had a dose of the Flu while I was away observing, but the sky was clear so I spent a solid two hours at the eyepiece sketching this globular, and it nearly done my head in. Every time I looked in the 8mm Ethos there seemed to be more and more stars to add, plus the 100deg FOV of this eyepiece was almost to much to handle.

The following night was clear again so I spent another 40mins just dabbling with the sketch to try and get as accurate eyepiece view as possible.

I have never been 100% satisfied with the sketches I have done previously of NGC 104 and most made the bin. This one however came out fairly good, it is certainly the best I could do with 47 Tuc.

I do not like to overdo eyepiece sketches, especially with size and brightness as one can be tempted to get a bit carried away, and detract from the visual perspective.

There has been no processing done with the sketch.

I do not think I will be doing NGC 104 again any time soon.
Too many stars!

Scott Mellish.

400 years of Telescopic Lunar Sketches

The First Lunar Sketches
Sketch by Thomas Harriot and text by Rich Handy

This amazingly simple sketch is one of the first telescopic sketches of the Moon ever made. It even predates Galileo’s beautiful ink wash sketches. It was made by Thomas Harriot of England on July 26, 1609. Between 1609 and 1610 he did several full phase sketches as well as lunar maps. Thomas Harriot was a mathematician of considerable genius who corresponded with some of the greatest scholars of his time. (Image courtesy of the Galileo project), please take some time to visit this fine site to see more of Thomas Harriot and Galileo Galilei’s first sketches of the Moon.

Globular Cluster M30

M30
Sketch and Details by Frank McCabe

Fall has arrived in my neighborhood and some of the Ash trees have begun dropping their golden leaves. On this evening the sky had cleared nicely and I took that opportunity to observe and sketch a favorite globular cluster in Capricornus. Globular cluster Messier 30 has for decades been a favorite to visit as it approaches the meridian. This cluster was discovered by Charles Messier on August 3, 1764. It is located less than 7° south of gamma Capricorni and when on my meridian is only 25° above the horizon. This object is 8 kiloparsecs (26,100 light years) from us and measures somewhere between 90 and 140 light years across. The visual magnitude of this cluster is 7.4 and is the deep sky showpiece of Capricornus. The small dense core is bright and noticeably ellipsoidal in shape. Most of the cluster stars that resolve well (mag.12) are to the north of the core. Two short chains of stars extending northward give this globular the appearance of legs in the inverted Newtonian telescope view. The brightest star in the field of the sketch is fifth magnitude 41 Capricorni. If you have a dark sky this is a fine target for a small telescope.

Location of M-30: R.A.21hrs. 40 min; Dec. -23° 11 min.

Sketching:

9”x11” white sketching paper; 2H, HB graphite pencils, black ink pen and a blending stump;
Scanned and inverted; brightness of some stars adjusted with MS Paint.
Scope: 18” f/5 Dobsonian: 12 mm wide field eyepiece 190x and 7.5 mm eyepiece 304x
Date and Time: 10-4-2008, 1:45-2:30 UT
Seeing: Pickering 5/10
Transparency: Average 3/5
NELM: 4.3

Frank McCabe

Echo of Mirach’s Ghost

NGC 404 – Mirach’s Ghost
Sketch and Details by Dale Holt

Following Frank’s post of Mirach’s Ghost NGC 404 on Tues 16th I promised in my comments to follow in his footsteps when the sky cleared and sketch this interesting duo.
Last night with my 14″ and Watec 120N Video camera I did just that. With the gibbous Moon rising in the east, Jupiter low in the SW and the summer triangle high over head it was at last! a fine evening, but I needed to move fast before the ‘Ghost’ vanished in the light of the silvery moon.

It was fun to follow what Frank had accomplished so recently.

Telescope 350mm F5 Newtonian reflector on a driven mount
Watec 120N Deep Sky B&W video camera fitted with an 0.6x Atik focal reducer.
The sketch made in real time from b&w security monitor on white cartridge paper using black ink for stars, HB pencil and blending stump for NGC 404 and diffraction spikes.
The sketch was scanned and converted into a negative image in photoshop

Dale Holt, Chippingdale observatory, Chipping, Hertfordshire, England

Mare Crisium

Mare Crisium
Sketch and details by Dale Holt

Mare Crisium (the “sea of crises”) is a lunar crater located in the Moon’s Crisium basin, just northeast of Mare Tranquillitatis. This basin is of the Pre-Imbrian period, 4.55 to 3.85 billion years ago. This mare is 376 miles (605 km) in diameter, and 176,000 km2 in area. It has a very flat floor, with a ring of wrinkled ridge toward its outer boundaries. Ghost craters, craters that have largely been buried under deposits of other material, are located to the south.

The crater has many notable features in and around it. The cape-like feature protruding into the southeast of the mare is Promontorium Agarum. On the western rim of the mare is the palimpsest Yerkes. The crater Picard is located just to the east of Yerkes, and northwest of Picard is the crater Peirce. Mare Anguis can be seen northeast of Mare Crisium. Mare Crisium is the site of the Luna 15 crash in 1969.

I used my 150mm F9 Triplet refractor and Denkmeier binoviewer fitted with 32mm Plossl eyepieces to view this Mare.

I captured the image on black art paper approx 125mm x 125mm using a white Conte pastel, white ‘Derwent’ watercolour pencil, white ‘Derwent’ pastel pencil, black ink pen & blending stump.

The image was scanned and reorientated hopefully to match the description above description lifted from Wikipedia.

Date of Sketch 15-Sept-2008 20.15 UT

Seeing Ant III

Mag 98x

Moon phase 99.6%

Location: Chippingdale observatory, Chipping, Hertfordshire, England

When a Wall is a Window

The Straight Wall
Sketch and Details by Jacques Thibault

Find enclosed one of my many drawings of the Straight Wall.
I used my D & G refractor, 127 mm achromatic, f/12, mounted on
Losmandy GM8.
18 mm and 12 mm Radian eyepieces and T-V 2X Barlow. (range : 84X
-260X, mostly 130X)
Conditions : Seing 4/5, from my backyard in Sainte-Foy, Quebec.

My working method :

1-Prior to observing, I make an outline drawing with the help of the
Hatfield Atlas. I use the outlined maps. This takes care of the
proportions and locations of the craters.
That way, I am able to concentrate on the lighting.
2-At the eyepiece, I note the shades of gray with Ansel Adam’s zone
system (0-10).
3-Back in the studio, I make a new outline on drawing cardstock (very
lightly, with a 2H graphite pencil).
4-I then use dry pastel to impart the general shade of the drawing. I
really push on the stomp to dye the paper.
5-I give a light coat of fixative to protect the pastel and to make
sure the ink will catch on the pastel surface.
6-Then I use India ink for the large black zone and different
Letraset markers to finish the drawing.
I also use an electric eraser to clear the white and to create texture.
During the drawing process I will browse in my many books on the Moon
and a wide collection of pictures taken from the Internet and other
sources.

I am not trying to make scientific observations. I just like being
alone under the stars, late in the night or early before sunrise :
it’s like walking alone by the ocean. I chose to draw because it’s by
far the best way to relive the experience. I dont make astro
photographs because I dont want to transform what is for me a
spiritual and relaxing activity into a technical marathon. I share my
drawings with my family and friends.

The very best seing to you all!

Jacques Thibault
Quebec.

I saw so many beautiful drawings on your fabulous site that I felt
that I had to send something as a token of my gratitude. Merci beaucoup.

Jacques

Above the Great Sand Sea of Namibia

47 Tucanae
Sketch and Details by Dave Riddle

It has been said that if we used all our senses to the fullest, we would stand in a constant state of amazement. Perhaps a telescope is merely a way to extend one of our senses — the gift of eyesight. I have come to appreciate how fortunate I have been to fulfill a few of childhood dreams. When the opportunity arose back in 2004 to visit Africa and take a five day road trip from Johannesburg, South Africa to the Great Sand Sea of Namibia, I jumped at the chance. I would spend eight weeks at the Sossusvlei Mountain Lodge under what must be some of the darkest skies found on our planet. The chance for daylight sightseeing combined with exploring the night skies of the southern hemisphere proved too much to resist…I’ll argue that the celestial wonders visible through a telescope are just as impressive as some of the other natural wonders seen along the way — the Augrabies Falls of S. Africa, the herds of elephants or the remarkable sand dunes of Sossusvlei. Submitted is a Photoshop rendering of 47 Tucanae, arguably the finest globular the heavens can offer. I used a 12″ Schmidt-Cassegrain at 250X to make the original graphite pencil and ink.

Dave Riddle