Watercolor Pencil on Black Paper – Page 2 – Astronomy Sketch of the Day

Two Views of M42

Messier 42, 43 and NGC 1977

Messier 42 Trapezium
Sketch and Details by Kiminori Ikebe

M42 (NGC 1976) Ori diffuse nebula Difficulty level 1

M43 (NGC 1982) Ori diffuse nebula Difficulty level 2

NGC 1977 Ori diffuse nebula Difficulty level 3

Date of observation: 1995/01/25 22:08
Observing site: Hoshinomura
Transparency/seeing/sky darkness: 2/4/2
Instruments: 30×125 binoculars
Width of field: 1.6‹
This is the brightest and most interesting diffuse nebula among those that are visible from Japan. It shows very complex structures and extremely difficult to draw. North of this nebula a diffuse nebula called NGC 1977 is clearly visible.
NGC 1999: This nebula is relatively bright with complex structures. If this nebula was a separate object, it could attract more attention of observers.
M42: Even at this magnification the four stars of the Trapezium are resolved and a dark band intruding the bright nebulosity from the east is noticeable. There are three stars along this dark band. There is also a dark band south of the Trapezium.
M43: The star at the center stands out and the southeast side of the nebulosity is sharply defined by dark areas.

Lunar Trio

Wolf Crater

Montes Harbinger

Schiller Crater

Sketches and Details by Dale Holt

I have assembled three sketches made at my hand over the Christmas holiday. The first caught my eye because of its shape under the illumination on the evening of observation. It struck me how it looks like a ‘love heart’ I later researched and found that this worn and likely flooded feature? Was Wolf no longer a Wolf’s den! But in my sketch perhaps a Wolf’s heart?

The second of my sketches, and personal favourite of the three is of the magnificent mountain range, Montes Harbinger, I was drawn by the brightly illuminated peaks and anthracite black, jagged and far reaching shadows reminiscent of the angry wood hungry teeth of an old rip saw!

Finally for the of my trio, completed last night it depicts the giant foot print of Schiller, seeing was good and detail plentiful, a wonderful way to spend an hour.

I hope these trio find favour with you? Drawn using my 6″ refractor in all cases & rendered with pastel & watercolour pencils upon black artist paper.

Happy New Year, Dale

Dancing on the Solar Limb

Solar prominences on August 31st, 2009
Sketches and Details by Erika Rix

2009 August 31, 1454UT – 1625UT
Solar h-alpha prominences

PCW Memorial Observatory, Zanesville, Ohio USA
Erika Rix

DS 60mm Maxscope, LXD75, 21-7mm Zhumell
Sketches created scopeside with black Strathmore Artagain paper, white
Conte’ crayon and pencil, white Prang watercolor pencil.

Temp: 23.0°C-25.0°C , Humidity 52%-38%
Seeing: Wilson 4 dropping down to 2, Transparency: 4.5/6-3/6
Clear to scattered, light winds E changing to NE
Alt: 43.7 – 55.6, Az: 122.5 – 152.5
Observed inside observatory. Seeing became very poor as the inside
warmed up.

There looked like a possible new active region forming by bright plage ~
30° in from the eastern limb. There were several prominences scattered
around the disk, and the largest areas were on the SE and SW limbs,
changing dramatically over the course of the 1.5 hr observation.

The Sun Lives!

Afternoon Prominences
Sketch and Details by Les Cowley

The sun lives! More out of hope than expectation I took an H-alpha look at the deep solar minimum sun with my Solarmax60 on the hot afternoon of August 19. Afternoons are usually a time of poor seeing, mornings before the ground and air has warmed are much better. Remarkably the image was steady and this complex prominence was evolving from minute to minute on the NW limb. Location. Sketch made at the eyepiece at 50X, 15 minute duration. Derwent Studio and Watercolour pencils on black paper.

Les Cowley
Atmospheric Optics
Optics Picture of the Day

A Brilliant 15 Day Old Moon

15 Day Old Moon
Sketch and Details by Erika Rix

2009 July 8, 0240UT – 0535UT
Lunar, Erika Rix
PCW Memorial Observatory, Zanesville, Ohio USA
Orion ED80 w/WO dielectric diagonal, LXD75, 21-7mm Zhumell, 13% T moon
filter

Lunar phase 352.2°-350.9°, 15.3-15.42 days
Temp: 17.6°C-11.7°C, H: 59%-86%
Alt: 11°02’ to 27°10’ Az: 132°18’ to 170°38’
Libr. Lat: 01°32’ to 01°24’, Libr. Long: 00°00’ to -00°37’
Seeing: Antoniadi II, Transparency: 3/6
Light cirrus, calm

Sketch created scopeside with black Strathmore Artagain paper, white
Conte’ crayon and pencil, white Prang watercolor pencil, black oil
pencil, black charcoal pencil.

The ray formations for last night’s (early this morning) Moon were
spectacular as was the terminator line to the east, showing specks of
rugged crater edges that looked suspended over the terminator edge.
Aristarchus and the surrounding area looked like two deep, bright gouges.

Goodbye AR 1017

Solar disk in H-alpha on May 20th, 2009
Sketch and Details by Erika Rix

2009 May 20, 1410UT – 1515UT

Solar h-alpha, AR1017

PCW Memorial Observatory, Zanesville, Ohio USA
Erika Rix

DS 60mm Maxscope, LXD75, 21-7mm Zhumell
Sketch created scopeside with black Strathmore Artagain paper, white Conte’ crayon and pencil, white Prang watercolor pencil, Derwent charcoal pencil, black oil pencil.

Temp: 17.3°C-21.1°C, Humidity 50%
Seeing: Wilson 4, Transparency: 3/6
Clear with slight breeze and a little haze
Alt: 42.6, Az: 99.4

Active region 1017 is now spending its last moments on the western limb and will be leaving us soon. The plage was fairly unremarkable and faint except for a very bright portion on the leading edge of the faint filament running north to south along side of it.

The region approximately 40° in from the eastern limb has a slender, but well-defined filament that, upon closer closer inspection, branches off toward the north with a black, almost round smudge at the crook of the branch. There were contrasty areas of faint plage making streaks and mottles around the filament.

There were a few broader filaments scattered about, although soft in appearance. And the prominences were very small and scattered; however, there was on area of prominences toward the south that made a beautiful display.

Best regards,
Erika

Solar Garden

Solar h-alpha on May 15th, 2009
Sketch and Details Erika Rix

2009 May 15, 1515UT – 1625UT
Solar AR 1017

PCW Memorial Observatory, Zanesville, Ohio USA
Erika Rix

DS 60mm Maxscope, LXD75, 21-7mm Zhumell
Sketch created scopeside with black Strathmore Artagain paper, white
Conte’ crayon and pencil, white Prang watercolor pencil, Derwent
charcoal pencil, black oil pencil.

Temp: 21.8°C – 25.6°C, Humidity 42%
Seeing: Wilson 4, Transparency: 4/6
Light cirrus, winds calm
Alt: 50.3, Az: 110.2

Glancing at a lower magnification with the zoom eyepiece, three main
areas of prom immediately came to view at approximately 40°, 130°, and
215° position angles. Then adjusting the outer Etalon, the plage of the
AR most westwardly popped out, followed by the eastwardly portion of it.
I’m a bit unsure if there were actually 2 active regions I was viewing
but I’ve only seen a designation for AR1017. It appeared to be two
separate active regions from today’s views.

Increasing magnification with excellent seeing conditions and the light
cirrus not bothering me, I concentrated on the prominences first and it
was then that I spotted another at approximately 280° PA. It twice as
tall as the spike in the group near 120° and spanned across 30° of limb.
It was very soft looking but I could still make out strands of structure
vertically within it – beautiful and certainly the treat of the day.

Going back to the active regions, in both areas, I could make out what I
believed to be magnetic lines. You can almost see the subtle renderings
of them in my sketch if you look hard enough. I did find myself
rendering the contrast a little more severe than true to the view, but
the details of this region were as true as I could make them through
sketch by making fine adjustments to the FOV as well as the Etalons of
my double stacked Maxscope.

Singing Bird

Solar Prominences on March 18, 2009
Sketch and Details by Jeff Young

On my birthday, a little bird came up out of the sun to sing to me. Well, that’s how I fancied it anyway….

Solar prominence in h-alpha, March 18, 2009 (seeing 3/5)

Solarscope SF70 on Tele Vue Pronto @f/23, with 15mm Panoptics in Baader MkV binoviewer (110X)

White Derwent Graphitint pencil on black Strathmore Artagain paper.

-Jeff

Here Comes the Sun

Solar Prominences on March 5th, 2009
Sketch and Details by Jeff Young

The sun has finally risen out of the murk here at 54°N, and I was very happy to get the white pencils and black paper out again. I did one sketch on the first of March, but, well… we’ll just chalk that one up to getting back into shape. The weather was somewhat brisk for this one, and my sketchpad even blew off my knee and into the wet grass at one point, but I was still much happier with the final result. 😉

Solar prominence in h-alpha, March 5, 2009 (seeing 2/5)

Solarscope SF70 on Tele Vue Pronto @f/23, with 19mm Panoptics in Baader MkV binoviewer (85X)

White Derwent Graphitint pencil on black Strathmore Artagain paper.

— Jeff.