Jupiter’s Arrow

Jupiter - 15 May 2015
Jupiter – 15 May 2015

Object: Jupiter and moons plus a couple of stars

Telescope: Dobson 8″
Eyepiece: Delos 12mm
Location: Garganta la Olla, Spain

Materials: Black ink fountain pen on white paper , and reversed on Photoshop

The night was a bad seeing one, so I turned to Jupiter and catched this Arrow shape formation tha I found funny.

Hope you like it!
___________________

Aurelio Alcalde

Thor’s Helmet – a Magnificent Apparition

Thor's Helmet - NGC 2359
Thor’s Helmet – NGC 2359

Hello all,

One thing all astronomers chase is ideal atmospheric conditions. An apparently clear night can present poor transparency or poor seeing due to thermal energy high up in the atmosphere. But every now and then, ideal or even very close to ideal conditions do present themselves, and it gives us the finest view of the heavens.

Such conditions presented themselves to me on the night of January 18.

My first view of Thor’s Helmet, NGC 2359, was four years ago during the Ice In Space Astro Camp. My view of it seemed to me to be a fine one. So much so it inspired me to sketch it straight away! Four years later, presented with a night of exceptional transparency, I revisited Thor’s Helmet as it was right on zenith for me.

WOW! What an image! This night Thor’s Helmet had nebulosity extending in four different directions, not just the two from my first view. So much more structure was apparent, and the nebulosity extended so much further, and so many more stars were visible too.

I’ve also included an image of the sketch I did of Thor’s Helmet in 2011 for comparison. It is this way that the full impact of the differences in conditions between the two nights can be appreciated.

I hope you enjoy this sketch.

Alex.

Object: Thor’s Helmet, NGC 2359
Scope: 17.5” push-pull Karee dob
Gear: 30mm 82° Explore Scientific, 91X, OIII filter
Date: 18th January, 2015
Location: Katoomba Airfield, Australia
Media: White soft pastel, charcoal and white ink on A4 size black paper
Duration: approx. 1hr.

Thor's Helmet - NGC 2359
Thor’s Helmet – NGC 2359 (2011)

Comet C/2014 Q2 (Lovejoy)

Comet C/2014 Q2 (Lovejoy) - January 9, 2015
Comet C/2014 Q2 (Lovejoy) – January 9, 2015

Hey ASOD!

I got the comet C/2014 Q2 (Lovejoy) from Norway, Trondheim.
This one was a fine object, big coma but no seen structures near nucleus
and no tail. Info on my sketch!
I used pencil and inkpen on white paper (inverted).
Hope you enjoy my sketch and observation!
I wish you all happy new year and clear skies!!

NGC 2525

NGC 2525, a barred spiral galaxy in the constellation Puppis
NGC 2525, a barred spiral galaxy in the constellation Puppis

Good afternoon all,

NGC2525 is love from my location in Puppis and is very attractive.

I was using the 505mm mirror, cooled Watec 120N+ video camera, sketching form the monitor image onto cartridge paper with draughtsman 0.3 ink pen for brighter star images, HB pencil for fainter ones, 3B pencil for galaxy detail which is then worked with a blending stump and eraser to achieve the desired match with the screen image, the whole sketch is then scanned and inverted to give a realistic view.

Hope these interest? Dale

Do you want to know more about my interest in astronomy? If so take a look at my Website: www.chippingdaleobservatory.com

Keep up to date with observations from Chippingdale Observatory by reading the Blog http://www.chippingdaleobservatory.com/blog/

Lunar Crater Clavius

Lunar crater Clavius - November 1, 2014
Lunar crater Clavius – November 1, 2014

My sketch of lunar crater Clavius together with smaller craters Porter and Rutherfurd at the top of the drawing. Clavius measures 225km in diameter and is located near the southern pole of the Moon. It is named after Christophorus Clavius, a 16th century German mathematician and astronomer.

Regards,

Alexei Pace
Astronomical Society of Malta

Sunspot 2192

Sunspot group 2192 - October 21, 2014
Sunspot group 2192 – October 21, 2014

Sunspot 2192
Sunspot group
Observed from Teulon Manitoba Canada
10:-11 CDT (15:00-16:00 UTC) Oct 21 2014
Graphite pencil and ink pen on white paper. Tinting added digitally to mimic the filter colour.
Observed this giant complex in visible light at 32x through Apogee RA 88 b

Triple and Double Stars

Struve 2816, a triple star system and Struve 2819, a double star in the constellation Cepheus
Struve 2816, a triple star system and Struve 2819, a double star in the constellation Cepheus

Hi Asod! My sketch is about a triple and a double stars, in the same field. The triple is STRUVE 2816 and the double STRUVE 2819 and they are both part of the wide open cluster “Trumpler 37″ in Cepheus. I observed the two multiple systems with my Dobson 10” f/5 with a 14mm eyepiece, 82° for a 180x magnification. The observation is great!

Object Name: STRUVE 2816 and STRUVE 2819
Object Type: Triple star, Double star
Location: Copertino (LE), ITALY
Date: 23:40, 19-10-2014 (Local)
Media: India Ink on white paper, inverted

M22 – the quietly spoken big brother globular cluster

Messier 22, the great globular cluster in Sagittarius
Messier 22, the great globular cluster in Sagittarius

Hi all,
This was the second sketch I completed at this year’s Astrofest back in July.

M22 is a true jewel of the night sky. This giant globular cluster from a dark site it can be a naked eye object as well. It is large enough for even smaller telescopes to resolve its multitude of component stars, revealing its large and intense core.

M22 is beautiful in my 17.5” scope. It is very different from Omega Centauri and 47Tuc – could even describe it as the ‘runt’ of the giant globulars as its core is not as busy as its bigger brothers. But the component stars of its core are absolutely brilliant, arranged in so many signature patterns. It is slowly turning into a favourite of mine with its understated brilliance, loud without being overbearing presence, and sitting on a magnificent carpet of the Milky Way glow.

I won’t say much here. I’ll let M22 do its own quite whispering of its magnificence. Yeah, I think one firm fav of mine now…

Alex.

Object: M22 globular cluster
Scope: 17.5” push-pull Karee dobsonian
Gear: 22mm LVW, 91X
Location: Linville, Queensland, Australia
Date: 24th July, 2014
Media: Soft pastel and white ink on A4 size black paper
Duration: approx. 2.5hrs

Comet Jacques (C/2014 E2)

Comet C/2014 E2 (JACQUES) - August 22, 2014
Comet C/2014 E2 (JACQUES) – August 22, 2014

Object Name: Comet C/2014 E2 (JACQUES)
RA: 02h 04m 07.8s; Dec: + 63° 39′ 26.9″
Magnitude: 6.4
Constellation: Cassiopeia
Location: Pueblonuevo de Bullaque. Ciudad Real. SPAIN
Date: August 22, 2014.
Local Time: 01:57 (2h T.U)
Material used: pastel pencil and white ink on black paper.
Celestron Telescope S/C 8″ Mount Cgt-5
Eyepiece: 22 mm L-VW
Magnification: 92x.

More information: http://astrodibujo.blogspot.com