Category: Pen and Ink

First Quarter Moon

First Quarter Moon
First Quarter Moon

Object Name: First Quarter Moon
Object Type: abstract interpretive sketch of prominent lunar features
Location: Oberlin, Ohio
Date: August-September 2013
Media: Sharpie, ball-point pen, and colored pencil on white paper

As this is the latest addition to my series of abstract astronomy-themed drawings (see more here: http://preshuss1.deviantart.com/gallery/45423007), I used a bit of artistic license in interpreting the lunar features that are shown. Still, I did my best to reference the moon’s actual geography.

The Sea of Rains is the central focus. Framing the craters Archimedes, Aristillus, Autolycus, and Cassini, this ancient volcanic plain is edged from south to north by the Appenine and Caucasus mountains, and capped by the “Alpine Valley.” The northern Mare Frigoris (Sea of Cold) bleeds around the crater Aristotle and into the lakes of Death and Dreams, finally bringing the eye to rest on a Sea of Serenity at lower right. Yes…it’s easy to get carried away by such tantalizing names! Exploring the lunar surface can feel like wandering through a poem…

Crater Vieta

Crater Vieta
Crater Vieta

Lunar Crater Vieta–Gerry Smerchanski

Lunar crater in lower eastern quadrant

Sketched from: Teulon, Manitoba Canada

Date: 21:00 to 22:30 CDT Sept 27th 2012.

Medium Graphite pencil ink and whiteout on white paper. Image flipped and contrast adjusted to compensate for scanning shortcomings.

This was the stunning end of a string of impressive looking craters starting back at Gassendi that night.

The Crab

Messier 1
Messier 1

Name: M1 “The Crab”

Type: Supernova remnant, diffuse nebula

Location: Gardner, CO; 37º50’N 105º11’W

Date: September 7, 2013 0300 MDT

Media: Conté crayon, pencil and ink on black Canson paper

Equipment: 18” Newtonian Reflector on a Dobsonian mount

Observer: Knuklhead Astronomer

Messier 7

Messier 7
Messier 7

Object: Messier 7.
Type: Open star cluster.
Location: Bangalore Karnataka, India.
Date: 18-Aug-2013.
Media: White paper, Black Gel pen, inverted and processed in Photoshop CS2..
Seeing condition and transparency was very bad..
Instrument: Sky 130mm Newtonian, Sky watcher EQ-1, wide angle plossil 20mm.

Hi guys, sky in Bangalore has been very bad since few months due to monsoons. Sky was a bit clear towards south today, so quickly, I recorded this from mid of light and air pollution. So could not see many dimmer stars.

When Perfection Appears Imperfect

Stargate Asterism
Stargate Asterism

Hello – I was recommended to your site by Patrick Wiggens of the Salt Lake Astronomical Society. I am a fine artist recently infatuated with the night sky and have spent the summer observing and making paintings from those observations.

Please let me know if this type of drawing does not apply to the intention of the site.

Object Name Stargate / Corvus / Virgo / Spica
Object Type Star Formation
Location Stanisbury Park Observatory Complex, Tuille, Ut
Date 7/02/2013
Media Marker, oil based pen, paperboard

Equipment used: 40cm Ealing Classical Cassegrain

Bill Williams of the Salt Lake Astronomical Society helped me to discover Stargate as part of my training on the observatory’s 40cm Cassegrain. It has been a favorite ever since. I find it paradoxical that the precise geometric formation appears to be a flaw in the chaotic organization of the universe at this level. Perfection appears imperfect.
Best Regards,
Kristy Mitchell

The Butterfly Cluster

Messier 6
Messier 6

Hello! This is a my sketch of one of the most beautiful cluster of the sky; the only but light Yellow/orange star make a fantastic contrast with the other bluish stars. I used my dobsonian telescope 10” f/5 and WA 12mm (104x).

Object name: Messier 6, Butterfly Cluster
Object type: Open Cluster
Location: Copertino (LE), Italy
Date: 3/7/2013
Media: India ink on white paper; inverted

NGC 6231 in Cebu

NGC 6231
NGC 6231

My family went to international trip to Cebu, Philippines.

The Cebu’s latitude is N 10.2˙.

So I prepared 8inch travle dob (Uti 8) and observed deep sky in the resort beach.

The weather of Southest Asia is very changeable in the midnight.

For 3 nights, I drew a only one cluster! It located bottom of Scorpious.

Object : NGC 6231 (Open Cluster)

Location : Korea

Date : May. 19, 2013

Media : Black Paper, White jelly pen

Petavius crater

Petavius crater - Pen/Ink
Petavius crater – Pen/Ink

Title: Petavius crater
My name: Silvia Fabi
Object name: Petavius
Object type: moon’s crater
Location: Ferrara
Date: 13/04/2013
Media: HB pencil on white paper
Seeing: III (Antoniadi)
Description: this is my favourite crater! It has a diameter of 177 Km and it’s deep 3,4 Km. It is a very intresting crater because it has a lot of central peaks and near this impact crater there are many floor’s irregularities and shadows.
All observed with a Sky Watcher Dobson 254 mm, 200x magnifications.

Silvia

Petavius crater - Graphite
Petavius crater – Graphite

Lunar Volcanism

Pyroclastic deposits in Alphonsus
Pyroclastic deposits in Alphonsus

Hi all,

I’ve been itching to have a go again at Alphonsus for some time. Along with its two buddies, Arzachel (to left) and Ptolemaeus (at right), this trio are a time line of Lunar history.

Ptolemaeus is the oldest. The crater floor is totally flooded, even the central peak is covered. It was fromed when the Moon was still very hot and lava readily flowed with a large impact.

Arzachel is the youngest. The crater floor is intact with no flooding, the crater walls are terraced with land slides both inside and outside of the crater.

Alphonsus sits bewteen the two in age. The crater floor is only partially flooded with the central peak still visible. The Moon has cooled since Ptolemaeus and lava flow has slowed. BUT, volcanic activity was still occuring after the flooding process had stopped. This is seen from the pyroclastic deposits that sit within Alphonsus. Four deposits lie within this crater and are marked in the labelled pic, and are seen as the darker shaded areas that are easy to see through the eyepiece.

Quite remarkable to consider that from here on Earth we can see the effects of ancient volcanism on a body that isn’t Earth.

Another treasure of the night was the Celestron Ultima LX 8mm eyepiece I used. These eyepiece are much underrated, but are surprisingly good. The 8mm in particular is easy to use for extended viewing. It made the 2.5 hours much more bearable, and my eyes were not as fatigued as they have been after with other sketches that have taken less time to do. It’s one of my favourite eyepieces.

Object: Pyroclastic deposits in Alphonsus
Scope: C8, 8″ SCT
Gear: 8mm Celestron Ultima LX, 250X
Location: Sydney, Australia
Date: 19th March 2013
Media: Soft Pastel, charcoal and white ink on A4 size black paper
Duration: approx 2.5 hrs

Pyroclastic deposits in Alphonsus - Labeled
Pyroclastic deposits in Alphonsus – Labeled