Tommy5
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 03/28/04
Posts: 2523
Loc: Chicagoland
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Kris and Sol, gret sketches of Mars on the quiet side, can't wait for better seeing to get on the mars action.
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Sol Robbins
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 12/01/03
Posts: 1985
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Kris,
Great sketches and colors.
I have the same problem. I render features darker than they actually appear. I think its a combination of using a light for drawing in the dark and the drawing process itself.
I used an orange filter briefly. Like you, it did not improve albedo visibilty. It did show areas with clouds and dust better in the NPH and following limb. Maybe an orange filter will be more beneficial as Mars gets closer or with larger aperture. That said, the Variable Filter works better on Mars showing a variety of details in same view.
Best,
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S.R.
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CarlosEH
Postmaster
Reged: 01/19/05
Posts: 6714
Loc: Pembroke Pines, Broward County...
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Kris,
Your observations of Mars are excellent as well. I look forward to your future observations.
Carlos
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Kris.
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 09/16/04
Posts: 1677
Loc: Belgium
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it's silent around mars now with comet holmes' outburst!
i haven't seen it, in fact i completely forgot about it when i observed mars on te morning of 31 october.  didn't even know where to look in the sky for it. 
so here's my mars sketch, seeing was not so great this time. the south pole area was very bright, any idea what it might be?
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Kris
To be old & wise, you first gotta be young & stupid
my website
my CN sketch & picture gallery
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frank5817
Postmaster
Reged: 06/13/06
Posts: 7212
Loc: Illinois
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Kris,
Excellent Mars sketch. You are picking up much detail.  I took a quick look early this morning, I'll need to see it just a bit better before I atempt a sketch.
Frank 
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My Gallery
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rodelaet
Post Laureate
Reged: 04/28/06
Posts: 3185
Loc: 50°56' N - 4°58' E (Belgium)
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Beautiful sketch, Kris! 
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Rony
'The Casual Sky Observer's Guide.'
My Astronomical Sketches
My Binocular Sketches
Callibrate your Monitor with this little strip.
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Sol Robbins
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 12/01/03
Posts: 1985
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Great sketch Kris. Intersting observation and details!
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S.R.
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Kris.
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 09/16/04
Posts: 1677
Loc: Belgium
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yet another mars sketch showing syrtis major, i got a lot of looks of this side of mars so far, the nights seem to be more clear when this side is on...
the seeing was just mediocre, but enough to get a good overall view of mars which has grown a lot bigger since my last view. the NPH is bigger also, and the martian desserts look a lot darker/warmer in color than previous to me. almost copper-like.
the NPH was the brightest feature, followed with a bit of limb brightening and hellas, both with a blue filter.
the overall contrast on mars still looks a lot less than 2 years ago, and the dust storm is over if i'm not wrong?
i'm happy it's almost opposition time, i grow tired of getting up early and having trouble staying awake at work 
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Kris
To be old & wise, you first gotta be young & stupid
my website
my CN sketch & picture gallery
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frank5817
Postmaster
Reged: 06/13/06
Posts: 7212
Loc: Illinois
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Kris,
Very nice Mars sketch. You really do beautiful work on all your planetary sketches. Please keep posting them during December when it is clear.
Frank
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My Gallery
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WadeVC
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 12/02/05
Posts: 2834
Loc: Lodi, California,
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Ok...now that I actually have something to show, here is a sketch I made of Mars (my first Mars sketch) as it appeared to me while observing the red planet on 11-14-07:
Mars - Nov. 14, 2007
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Orion XTi10 f/4.7
Orion XTi8 f/5.9
Meade NGC 70mm f/10
Orion UltraView 10x50 Wide-Angle Binoculars
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A wise man can see more from the bottom of a well than a fool can from a mountain top.
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CarlosEH
Postmaster
Reged: 01/19/05
Posts: 6714
Loc: Pembroke Pines, Broward County...
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Kris,
Two excellent observations of the red planet showing a good amount of detail. The October 31st observation showing the Mare Erythraeum and Mare Acidalium regions and the November 15th one the Syrtis Major region. Thank you for sharing these with us all.
Wade- An excellent observation of Mars as well.
Carlos
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Kris.
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 09/16/04
Posts: 1677
Loc: Belgium
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I had another opportunity tonight to observe the red planet and make two sketches 2,5 hours apart. i tried to use a little more colors in the sketches, because i'm not really pleased anymore with the grey color for the dark markings, so there's a bit more brown in these sketches. talking about colors, why is it the polar hood has lost it's blueish hue from some time back  it was very obvious in september to half october for me?
the first sketch is not very detailed, seeing was not superb and mars was only 36° above the horizon at the time.
i could only use up to 200x power.
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Kris.
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Reged: 09/16/04
Posts: 1677
Loc: Belgium
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the second sketch looks a lot better, the air was much steadier, i could go up to 357x using a 7mm ortho 'barlowed' with a 2.5x powermate.
this has been the best view of mars i've got so far this year  it's my 16'th sketch of mars this year, only two less than in 2005 and the best is yet to come 
elysium was seen as a slightly brighter area bordered with a 'sharp' dark streak (phlegra?) to the east and a more diffuse darker smudge westwards.
the north polar hood appeared with a greyish border to me, and at the morning limb there was a (very) dark small triangle popping out of it. could that be nodus alcyonius? i looked that up with damian peaches' marsmap.
mare cimmerium & tyrrhenum were obvious, but i had difficulty seeing them divided, so i think hesperia is the lighter streak between them.
last i saw a bright area rotating on the disk at souther edge, what could that be? i don't think it could already be Hellas?
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Kris
To be old & wise, you first gotta be young & stupid
my website
my CN sketch & picture gallery
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frank5817
Postmaster
Reged: 06/13/06
Posts: 7212
Loc: Illinois
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Kris,
Excellent Mars sketches. These are very well drawn. Hope my skies clear soon.
Frank
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My Gallery
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CarlosEH
Postmaster
Reged: 01/19/05
Posts: 6714
Loc: Pembroke Pines, Broward County...
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Kris,
Two outstanding observations of Mars showing a good amount of detail. You have recorded the color of the disk and albedo features nicely. Thank you for sharing them with us all.
Carlos
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Kris.
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 09/16/04
Posts: 1677
Loc: Belgium
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thanks guys, bad weather for a week over here again i took my chance this weekend.
can anybody tell me what i could have seen at about 1 o' clock on my latest sketch? i thought i saw a bright region close to the edge, i don't think it can be hellas, could it be a cloud or something?
now that i'm typing this, i just checked some images on the CMO site(18 november, richard bosman) with mars at 220° cm (not too far from my estimated 217° cm), and it does look like hellas is just looking around the corner. i also do think that it was one of the last things I added to my sketch... so perhaps it is possible it's hellas after all
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Kris
To be old & wise, you first gotta be young & stupid
my website
my CN sketch & picture gallery
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Tommy5
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 03/28/04
Posts: 2523
Loc: Chicagoland
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Excellant sketches Kris,mars is getting closer but so are the gales of november,and solid overcast of dec.,thanks for keeping us posted on the mars scene.
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Sol Robbins
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 12/01/03
Posts: 1985
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Kris,
Your sketches keep getting better. Your eye for color is accurate.
I believe that Hellas is on the limb at the 2 o'clock position.
Thanks for posting your observations.
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S.R.
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Erix
Toad Lily
Reged: 12/25/04
Posts: 24022
Loc: Texas, USA
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Excellent observations and sketches, everyone!
Kris, superb sketches! I really am enjoying your color work. Do you do any blending? Is there a need to? I find my colored pencils very difficult to blend and just try to be careful with not showing too many actual pencil markings. I could use any tips you might have on it.
Sol, John Crilly's lent me a VP filter to use for now. Thanks for the tip!
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Erika
Automatic doors make me feel like a Jedi. 
Zhumell 16", 10" LX200 Classic,Celestron 102 XLT, ETX70-AT, DS Maxscope 60mm, AT6RC
PCW Memorial Observatory
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Kris.
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 09/16/04
Posts: 1677
Loc: Belgium
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Tommy, Sol, Erika: thanks i'm looking forward to see your future mars sketches posted here.
Erika, i have the same problem as you, color pencils are difficult for blending so i'm also carefull not to put too much pressure on them. i try to do a bit of blending using a cotton, like a make-up remover cotton. that helps me a bit, you could try it too if you haven't already.
i don't do any post-scan processing with my sketches using a program, other than just lowering the sharpness and make the image a little more or less bright.
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Kris
To be old & wise, you first gotta be young & stupid
my website
my CN sketch & picture gallery
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