The purpose of this thread is act as a gallery of illustrations of all things to do with the Solar System and Deep Sky Objects. The Moon has its own sketching thread, and Lunar work is best placed there.
You've got a sketch you would like to share? This is the place for it.
A write up of the experience is most welcome such as the gear you used, conditions, site, date, points of interest, etc. More formal observational reports would be best placed in the Obs. Report sub-forum.
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I'll get the ball rolling with one of my own.
The one on Saturn was done way back in '94 using my C5. It was the first time I noticed the shadow of the disk cast back onto the rings, and the 'C' (?) ring on the inside of the rings. Cassisini's division was easily visible as was ring's shadow on the planet's disk. Some cloud features were visible too. This vista made a deep impression on me as it gave me a real "3D" feel with the planet, and left me in no doubt about the quality of this little scope,
At the time I didn't think I'd be able to spot Titan, or any other of Saturn's moons, so I'm not sure if any of the surrounding "stars" are Titan and cohorts, .
Object: Saturn
Date: July '94
Scope: Celestron C5
Gear: Vixen LV 5mm (250X)
Site: Backyard in Sydney
Conditions: Very good still air for Sydney, and good transparency.
Media: coloured pencils and ink on white paper, cut-out and pasted onto black paper
Cheers,
Mental.
Last edited by mental4astro; 15-03-2011 at 10:04 AM.
finally a place for us visualls to strut our stuff. i got a whole folder of sketches dating back quite a few years, will post some here every now and then.
Thought I'd continue the rolling ball.
Attached is a sketch of our old mate M42. This was done in December just after Santa brought me a new 40mm eyepiece. It was drawn in charcoal and pencil and inverted. Not good seeing conditions at the time with lots of skyglo.
I hope you enjoy.
M42 presents so many opportunities for all sizes of scopes. It is birght enough for a small scope to suss out faint details, and delicate enough for large scopes to be challenged to bring out.
I like the extensions of the 'seagull wings'. M43 can be a challenge to see in the Big Smoke. And the 'fish mouth' is nicely prominant (that's the dark protusion that arcs infront of the Trapesium). This dark pillar is one of my favourite features in the whole sky. At a dark site, and with a bit of grunt in the magnification, a soft glow can be made out around the top of its 'head', reminisent of the fabulous pics of dark pillars taken by Hubble. A mottled structure to it is easier to make out with larger scopes, but everyone should have a go at trying to make it out - another opportunity presented by M42!
Yeah, I know, you've already seen this one of mine, but It's a new section and I want to contribute
NGC 2070 (30 Doradus) The Tarantula Nebula
Located in the Large Magellanic Cloud in Southern Skies, the Tarantula
Nebula has an apparent magnitude of 8.0 and is about 160,000 light years
distant.
The exciting thing about ‘The Tarantula’ is that it is a nebula in ‘another
Galaxy’. If it was as close to us as the Orion Nebula is, it would fill 60
degrees of the sky and far outshine Venus!
It is named ‘The Tarantula’ due to it’s appearance being like a giant
spider.
Drawn with number 3 pencil on white art board, scanned and inverted in
Photoshop CS. Red Hue added in Photoshop CS.
Date Drawn: 2006 while observing Tarantula through a 12″ reflector with a
32mm 2″ Erfle Eyepiece.
Ken, you already know what this sketch does to me, you naughty, naughty boy! I'm weak at the knees, butterflies in my tummy, perspiration going, panting, feeling faint... I'd better lie down a while.
This is one of the most stunning astro sketches I've ever seen. A true marvel of detail, subtle touch, patience, and hard work. I'm so pleased that you've added it to this little thread. It'll serve as inspiration for me every time I rip up another sheet of paper in disgust and dispair.
Finally a clear, and dewless night! And I wasn't gonna let a bit of Moonlight spoil the party.
With the New Moon just around the corner, I took this chance to blow some cobwebs out of my pencil case. Nothing elabarate gear wise. Just my little 8" f/4 dobbie, a 30 year old eyepiece and an OIII filter and a view of the Eta Carina nebula. This was the first sketch using the Mellish technique I've done in ages. Once the 45 minute sketch was done, it surprised me how much detail was laid down. Eta Carina itself is visible as the bright orangish spot. At 29X, the Homunculus nebula isn't visible- it's too small, just its distinct colour.
Being done in Sydney, the full potential of this giant nebula isn't realised. It was more a point of getting something done after such a long time of unproductivity.
Object: Eta Carina nebula
Scope: 8" f/4 dob
Gear: RKE 28mm (29X), OIII filter
Date: 23-3-'11
Location: Sydney
Conditions: 'Sydney sky' plus last quarter Moon
Media: White paste, black & white charcoal, white & coloured ink on black paper.
That certainly is a stunning image Ken and deserves another outing.
Thanks Michael
Quote:
Originally Posted by mental4astro
I took this chance to blow some cobwebs out of my pencil case.
Being done in Sydney, the full potential of this giant nebula isn't realised. It was more a point of getting something done after such a long time of unproductivity.
Gee Alex, if you are seeing that much Nebula (Dark & light) from a light polluted area in Sydney you are doing very well!
Your sketch is excellent.
It has a sort of photographic quality to it
Yeah, I know, you've already seen this one of mine, but It's a new section and I want to contribute
NGC 2070 (30 Doradus) The Tarantula Nebula
Located in the Large Magellanic Cloud in Southern Skies, the Tarantula
Nebula has an apparent magnitude of 8.0 and is about 160,000 light years
distant.
The exciting thing about ‘The Tarantula’ is that it is a nebula in ‘another
Galaxy’. If it was as close to us as the Orion Nebula is, it would fill 60
degrees of the sky and far outshine Venus!
It is named ‘The Tarantula’ due to it’s appearance being like a giant
spider.
Drawn with number 3 pencil on white art board, scanned and inverted in
Photoshop CS. Red Hue added in Photoshop CS.
Date Drawn: 2006 while observing Tarantula through a 12″ reflector with a
32mm 2″ Erfle Eyepiece.
Ken James
Snake Valley, Australia
Ken, this is the most amazing sketch I have seen- such incredible detail and shading and contrast You are so talented! Please post more pics of your wonderful work.
Poor Alex, I felt his pain. Especailly more painful as your sketch was next to Ken's.
Alex, that was a great pic of the Carina Nebula - nice work.
At the start of some very good observing last night, I made some sketches of the NGC 1962 complex with NGC 1953 (the cluster at top left) and NGC 1910 with NGCs 1916 (top) and 1913 (top left).
I haven't got my gear to try the Mellish technique yet so these are just sketched with graphite on white paper, photographed and inverted using GIMP
Forgot to mention that the 1962 complex includes open clusters 1962,1965,1966 & 1970 in Henize emission nebula N144. 1953, 1913 & 1916 are globular clusters and 1910 is an emission nebula. All are in the Large Magellanic Cloud.
.
And I wasn't gonna let a bit of Moonlight spoil the party.
