Category: Black Paper

Dawn Breaking across Crater Schickard

Crater Schickard
Crater Schickard
Sketch and Details by Frank McCabe

One of the many large and interesting craters on the visible lunar surface is this 230 km. diameter walled plain crater known as Schickard. This Pre-Nectarian crater is somewhat isolated from craters of equal size. It is the large, shallow floor of Schickard that presents its most interesting features and at the time of this sketch light was just beginning to spread across its floor. Tens of millions of years after this crater formed a much larger impact formed the Orientale basin, blanketing the crater with highland ejecta. This great crater can easily be seen in a modest telescope with good lighting one or two days before full moon.

Sketching:

For this sketch I used: Black Canson sketching paper, 14”x 12”, White and black Conte’ pencils, a blending stump, plastic eraser. After scanning, contrast was increased (+1) using the scanner.

Telescope: 13.1 inch f/5.9 Dobsonian and 9mm eyepiece 218x
Date: 2-26-2010, 1:45 – 2:30 UT
Temperature: 21° C (68° F) clear, calm
Seeing: Antoniadi III
Co-longitude: 57.5°
Lunation: 11.98 days
Illumination: 90.4 %

Observing Location:
+41°37′ +87° 47′
Oak Forest, Il.

Frank McCabe

Ramshackle in Reticulum

NGC 1313
NGC 1313
Sketch and Details by Scott Mellish

NGC 1313
Star Burst Galaxy
Reticulum
12/12/09
Ilford NSW Australia
56cm f5 Dobsonian
Field: 17′
Magnification: 354x
Sky Quality Meter reading 21:67

Black Canford paper
White pen
White pastel
Soft white pencil
White oil pencil
Blending stump

I was not all that impressed with the quality of the observing conditions while I was sketching this impressive galaxy.
Waves of unsteady air were crossing the eyepiece field at intervals.

Still when there is a clear sky to be had then beggars cannot be choosers.

NGC 1313 is big and bright enough to hold its own in such conditions.
A noted Star Burst galaxy as is quite evident from its ramshackle appearance.

In a large dob this galaxy is a very rewarding sight.

Scott Mellish

Globular Cluster M 79 in Lepus

Messier 79
Messier 79
Sketch and Details by Kiminori Ikebe

M79 (NGC 1904) Difficulty level 2

Date of observation: 1997/11/02 02:10
Observing site: Kuju
Transparency/seeing/sky darkness: 3/3/3
Instruments: 32cm Dobsonian with TPL10.5 at 150x
Width of field: 0.3°

This is a mid-sized bright globular. At 150x it is finely resolved but the central region is not completely resolved. Even at 50x it is relatively well resolved. The level of concentration is rather weak. The bright central region looks pointed in three directions just like a maple leaf. The southeastern side of the center has not such extension but the outline is sharp with four stars shining outside it. A bright star off the northern side stands out. There is a conspicuous line of stars which encircles the edges of the globular and extends further to the south. This line of stars is clearly seen in photographs. This globular is full of interesting characteristics.

Goldschmidt Rays and the Moon’s North Limb

Goldschmidt
Plato, Goldschmidt and Northern Limb
Sketch and Details by Deirdre Kelleghan

February 28th / March 1st 2010 23:20 UT – 00 :35 UT
200 mm Dobsonian Telescope FL 1,200
8mm TVP eyepiece = 150X
Goldschmidt rays and the Moons North limb

South is up in this sketch because that is the way I viewed it and sketched it. Pastels & Conte on black paper.

Our beautiful Snow moon was 99 .9 % drenched in the suns light when I went observing on the last day in February 2010. Along the NW limb several craters were on view in the libration zone, it was my intention to make a sketch of these elusive features. They presented on the limb as dark deep long shadows edged with sharp bright lines against the blackness of space.

However while these were interesting, my eye was magnetized toward the brightness of Goldschmidt and its ejecta rays, giving great form to the area. Several of these long dark lines were also on view on the edge of the limb close to Goldschmidt and Herschel . It was so visually interesting to observe the contrasts on the limb when the moon was so full, a black and white merry dance of slow movement and rich structure.

Plato never looked so dark and flat ,its black floor absorbing the suns light when most of the surrounding area was throwing it toward my eye. I adored the tiny pure white rim sections singing in the light. My sketch wandered across part of Mare Frigoris , the area around Plato and includes part of Mons Teneriffe .

—
Deirdre Kelleghan
Vice Char IFAS
Outreach IFAS
National Coordinator Astronomers Without Borders Ireland .
http://www.irishastronomy.org/
http://www.deirdrekelleghan.com/

Sun in H-Alpha – March 4, 2010

Sun - March 4, 2010
Sun – H-Alpha – March 4, 2010
Sketch and Details by Erika Rix

2010 March 4
Solar h-alpha, Active regions 1051, 1052, 1053
PCW Memorial Observatory, Zanesville, Ohio USA – Erika Rix
DS 60mm Maxscope, LXD75, 21-7mm Zhumell

H-alpha sketch created scope-side with black Canson paper, white Conte’ crayon and pencil, white Prang watercolor pencil, Derwent charcoal pencil, black oil pencil.

Temp: -1°C, Humidity 75%
Seeing: Wilson 4, Transparency: 4.6/6
Light cirrus, calm, Alt: 35.1, Az: 140.0

AGCS 1014 Galaxy Cluster

AGCS 1014
AGCS 1014
Sketch and Details by Scott Mellish

AGCS 1014
Galaxy cluster
Octans
13/12/09
Ilford NSW Australia
56cm f5.0 Dobsonian telescope
Field: 15′
Magnification: 314x
Sky Quality Meter reading 21:72

White pen
White oil pencil
Soft white pencil

The far southern circumpolar constellation of Octans is not often considered rich in deep sky objects, at least not bright and pretty ones.

For the more adventurous observer there is a wealth of faint and fascinating galaxies scattered throughout the area to keep one engrossed for hours.

One such object is the remote Abell galaxy cluster AGCS 1014.
R.A: 22 23 47.9 DEC: -80 11 52.
This object is the most interesting of several extremely faint galaxy clusters that inhabit the region, and certainly the brightest one that is nearest the south celestial pole.

What is most rewarding with such little known objects is the fact that the observer may very well be one of only a handful of people on the planet to have seen it in a telescope.

Scott Mellish.

SDO Launch

SDO Launch
NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory Launch
Sketch and Details by Stephen Ramsden

I know that this is a bit off the wall, but I got so inspired by the SDO going up safely that I decided to sketch it. Hope you like it.
_________________________________________________________________

NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory

Atlas V rocket

Cape Kennedy Space Center, FL USA

Feb 11th, 2010

This is colored Conte oil crayons, #2 pencils and a napkin for smudging on black Artagain recycled sketch paper. This sketch was my impression of several frames from the NASA launch video.

I was very thrilled when the SDO launched successfully. I cannot wait until data starts streaming into Goddard Space Flight Center from this, the first mission in NASA’s living with a star program. Great timing too as we have seen such a dramatic uptick in Solar activity the last few weeks.

Stephen W. Ramsden
Atlanta, GA
www.solarastrophotography.com

Solar Spring

Solar Prominences
Solar Prominences
Sketch and Details by Jeff Young

As the sun is finally attaining some altitude above the trees on my horizon, I decided it was time to wake my Solarscope up from its winter hibernation. There was quite a bit of surface activity on view, but I had neglected to bring out my sketching materials for disk work. No matter, there was a nice prominence complex as well, and I had everything I needed for it.

White Derwent Graphitint pencil on black Strathmore Artagain paper.
Sketched from County Louth, Ireland.
As viewed through 70mm Solarscope h-alpha filter, Tele Vue Pronto, Astro-Physics Barlow, Baader MkV binoviewer and 19mm Panoptics.

Cheers,
— Jeff.

An Early Morning with Sinus Iridum

Sinus Iridum
Sinus Iridum
Sketch and Details by Frank McCabe

In the waning moonlight the shadows of the Jura mountain peaks could be seen on the floor of Sinus Iridum. On this mid-August night I was experiencing and enjoying a full night observing and sketching. The moon occupied my time during the second half of this session all the way to sunrise. It was one of the rare nights with cool dry air and great seeing conditions.
Sinus Iridum (260km.) is what remains of the Upper Imbrium impact on the floor of the Sea of Showers. The dark basaltic lava floor with its wrinkled ridges could be clearly seen as the sunset shadow was approaching. Several notable and recognizable features could be seen and included Promontorium Heraclides at the southwestern end of the crater rim arc over to Promontorium Laplace on the northeastern side. Old craters Mairan (40 km.), Sharp (40 km.), Bianchini (38 km.), were all clearly seen and sketched as well as the younger impact scars of Harpalus (39 km.) and Bauguer (22 km.), with ancient Mare Frigoris (Lower Imbrium) beyond the remains of the ejecta of Sinus Iridum. Much of dorsum Zirkel (216 km.) and dorsum Heim (134 km.) could be seen paralleling the terminator at the lower end of the sketch.
I was pleased I did not miss this fine evening for observing and sketching at the telescope.

Sketching:

For this sketch I used: black Canson paper 9″x 12″, white and black Conte’
pastel pencils , and Conte’crayons, a blending stump, plastic and gum erasers. Brightness was decreased -2 using the scanner for this sketch
Telescope: 10 inch f/ 5.7 Dobsonian with 9mm (161x) eyepiece
Date: 8-15-2009 10:00-11:20 UT
Temperature: 16°C (60°F)
Clear , calm
Seeing: Antoniadi II
Co longitude 206.3°
Lunation days 24.3
Illumination 32.1%