Erix
Toad Lily
Reged: 12/25/04
Posts: 22340
Loc: Ohio, USA
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The target for this thread is the Sun. Observations can be in any of the bandwidths, using any media that you choose. Please add any tutorial/tips contributions to this thread so we can use it as a handy reference.
The sketching forum has grown so much this past year, thanks to all of you who have shared their techniques, encouragement and enthusiasm. This forum has become yet another invaluable source of information, allowing us to learn from each other and improve with each sketch and observation.
CN already has a contest for images/sketches that is a way for us to have fun and show what can be accomplished through our observations. We continue striving to “create a range of options for members to explore as they use CN to develop their skills and interest in this hobby” (a quote by Tom Watson that I certainly couldn’t have worded better).
With this in mind, we have set up a monthly thread with a common target. You are encouraged to supply any or all of the following within these threads, creating a valuable tool for learning how to observe and render that object:
- tips on how to observe that object, filters or other equipment used
- media tried and tested for your renderings
- mini tutorial with an explanation and or/photos on how you did created the observation sketch
- link to any reports involved with the target, after all, these are observation sketches and links to reports will help all of us learn the object better as well as learn what to look for and how to optimize your viewing/sketching session
- or finally, just the sketch itself so we can all see each other's works in progress
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Erika
Automatic doors make me feel like a Jedi. 
Zhumell 16", 10" LX200 Classic,Orion ED80, ETX70-AT, DS Maxscope 60mm
My CN Gallery * 2007 July - tracking NOAA10963
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Erix
Toad Lily
Reged: 12/25/04
Posts: 22340
Loc: Ohio, USA
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To get the ball rolling, here is an easy way to get started with prominence sketches in H-alpha.
I use a combination of the following:
Black Strathmore Artagain paper
White Prang watercolor pencil - dry
White Conte' pencil
White Conte' crayon
Black or gray pen and/or charcoal pencil
white vinyl eraser if needed
compass for full disk
exacto knife for sharpening
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Erika
Automatic doors make me feel like a Jedi.
Zhumell 16", 10" LX200 Classic,Orion ED80, ETX70-AT, DS Maxscope 60mm
My CN Gallery * 2007 July - tracking NOAA10963
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Erix
Toad Lily
Reged: 12/25/04
Posts: 22340
Loc: Ohio, USA
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I start off my notes with a small full disk using the compass so that I can quickly mark any features I see on the Sun. Equipment, time, date, location, etc are written down as well as any notes about the observation itself.
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Erika
Automatic doors make me feel like a Jedi.
Zhumell 16", 10" LX200 Classic,Orion ED80, ETX70-AT, DS Maxscope 60mm
My CN Gallery * 2007 July - tracking NOAA10963
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Erix
Toad Lily
Reged: 12/25/04
Posts: 22340
Loc: Ohio, USA
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I'm going to concentrate first on that lower faint prominence as I didn't want it to slip away from if the transparency got any worse.
I create my limb arcs freehand. The compass and most other templates, such as plates, etc, never give me the arc that I need and usually ends up with the arc too curved making my prominences appear huge.
I do this with either the Conte' crayon or pencil. In this case I used the crayon because if feels more natural in my hand for large strokes.
After spending quite a bit of time studying the prom so that I can catch as much detail as I can, I then add the brightest features to the sketch using the Conte' pencil. This provides anchor points for the rest of the sketch. And later, when I add the Prang, it will self blend, softening up the prom more to what it really looks like in the FOV.
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Erika
Automatic doors make me feel like a Jedi.
Zhumell 16", 10" LX200 Classic,Orion ED80, ETX70-AT, DS Maxscope 60mm
My CN Gallery * 2007 July - tracking NOAA10963
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Erix
Toad Lily
Reged: 12/25/04
Posts: 22340
Loc: Ohio, USA
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Observation tips to pull out more detail would include blocking out any stray light from around the eyepiece. I use both a black cloth as well as a sunshield.
I try different magnifications if seeing permits, the FOV gets moved around to find the best area in the FOV for the view, and I also tweak the Etalon for maximum bandwidth for the limb.
Then I finish up with quickly adding finer details with the Prang watercolor pencil. It's very waxy and produces light markings. Because it's waxy, it is hard to mark over it with the chalky Conte'. It does, however, mark nicely over the Conte'.
I rarely blend, but if I do, I do so with my fingertip. Usually it would be just to push my fingertip gently on the marking without rubbing so ever so slightly smudge it. In this drawing, I had to rub back and forth with my fingertip on the large faint markings to the right. This are was very faint visually and I accidentally rendered it too bright with my Prang.
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Erika
Automatic doors make me feel like a Jedi.
Zhumell 16", 10" LX200 Classic,Orion ED80, ETX70-AT, DS Maxscope 60mm
My CN Gallery * 2007 July - tracking NOAA10963
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Erix
Toad Lily
Reged: 12/25/04
Posts: 22340
Loc: Ohio, USA
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And here is what it looks like in person, only slightly larger and grainier from the scan. Strathmore paper is a rich black color. The sketches above were taken with my camera in full sun and of course looks much lighter than it really is.
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Erika
Automatic doors make me feel like a Jedi.
Zhumell 16", 10" LX200 Classic,Orion ED80, ETX70-AT, DS Maxscope 60mm
My CN Gallery * 2007 July - tracking NOAA10963
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Erix
Toad Lily
Reged: 12/25/04
Posts: 22340
Loc: Ohio, USA
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This next one is a quick tutorial on surface features using the same media listed above.
I saw an area just east of center on the solar disk that looked like it was just shy of being an active region.
To begin, I use the flat edge of my Conte' crayon and softly rub an area on my paper to represent the surface. Then I gently use my fingertip to quickly blend the area, making sure I don't overblend, otherwise I would loose the textured feel of the surface that we see from mottling.
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Erika
Automatic doors make me feel like a Jedi.
Zhumell 16", 10" LX200 Classic,Orion ED80, ETX70-AT, DS Maxscope 60mm
My CN Gallery * 2007 July - tracking NOAA10963
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Erix
Toad Lily
Reged: 12/25/04
Posts: 22340
Loc: Ohio, USA
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Using the Conte' pencil or crayon (depends on how large my sketch area is. Today it was fairly small so I used the pencil.) I draw in the brightest areas which are plage.
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Erika
Automatic doors make me feel like a Jedi.
Zhumell 16", 10" LX200 Classic,Orion ED80, ETX70-AT, DS Maxscope 60mm
My CN Gallery * 2007 July - tracking NOAA10963
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Erix
Toad Lily
Reged: 12/25/04
Posts: 22340
Loc: Ohio, USA
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Quickly, and just as a reference, I sketch in some of the chromospheric network starting with the light areas and then sketch in the darker areas with a charcoal pencils.
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Erika
Automatic doors make me feel like a Jedi.
Zhumell 16", 10" LX200 Classic,Orion ED80, ETX70-AT, DS Maxscope 60mm
My CN Gallery * 2007 July - tracking NOAA10963
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Erix
Toad Lily
Reged: 12/25/04
Posts: 22340
Loc: Ohio, USA
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Finishing up on it, I fine tune the surface details, using a black pen for the thinner darkest ares representing filaments or sunspots. I usually use the black pen sparingly and in conjunction with the gray/black shade of charcoal, otherwise it would be too monochrome and flat in appearance.
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Erika
Automatic doors make me feel like a Jedi.
Zhumell 16", 10" LX200 Classic,Orion ED80, ETX70-AT, DS Maxscope 60mm
My CN Gallery * 2007 July - tracking NOAA10963
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Erix
Toad Lily
Reged: 12/25/04
Posts: 22340
Loc: Ohio, USA
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Scanning it in then once I come inside....
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Erika
Automatic doors make me feel like a Jedi.
Zhumell 16", 10" LX200 Classic,Orion ED80, ETX70-AT, DS Maxscope 60mm
My CN Gallery * 2007 July - tracking NOAA10963
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Erix
Toad Lily
Reged: 12/25/04
Posts: 22340
Loc: Ohio, USA
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As an example of what my ordinary sketch sheet looks like at the scope, here's a photo right before I came back inside from my session today. I turned off tracking on my scope so that I could watch for drift for solar orientation. I'll write up my report, use Tilting Sun for relevant solar info and to use the disk insert for fine tuning position angles, etc, and then make my collage.
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Erika
Automatic doors make me feel like a Jedi.
Zhumell 16", 10" LX200 Classic,Orion ED80, ETX70-AT, DS Maxscope 60mm
My CN Gallery * 2007 July - tracking NOAA10963
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Erix
Toad Lily
Reged: 12/25/04
Posts: 22340
Loc: Ohio, USA
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Here's a photo of the area that I generally observe from. Each sketch takes only a few minutes. Observing time, however, is much longer. Comfort is a key ingredient as well as having everything handy next to me.
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Erika
Automatic doors make me feel like a Jedi.
Zhumell 16", 10" LX200 Classic,Orion ED80, ETX70-AT, DS Maxscope 60mm
My CN Gallery * 2007 July - tracking NOAA10963
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atoptics
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 08/10/06
Posts: 1482
Loc: UK
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Thanks Erika. There is much experience and much food for thought there.
One quick comment: You say "After spending quite a bit of time studying the prom .. ..I then add the brightest features to the sketch using the Conte' pencil." That's fascinating because you seem to start with the lightest tones (not detail) and then work them darker or break them up? I do just the opposite - this is going to be interesting!
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Les
Optics Picture of the Day
Atmospheric Optics
TiltingSun
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Erix
Toad Lily
Reged: 12/25/04
Posts: 22340
Loc: Ohio, USA
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I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone's techniques for solar sketching.
Creating anchors at the beginning of a sketch is very helpful for me, such as drawing the most prominent brightest areas of the prominences first, or the plage. I do the same for DSO with the brightest stars before I add the cluster, comet, nebula. And with lunar, The anchors are the outline of the object and then main smaller crater outlines surrounding the object. It's the only way I can easily layout the correct shapes and sizes afterward.
Sometimes I need to touch up on the brightest areas afterward, but not very often.
Here is a typical collage that I just finished to make the finished sketch more presentable and easy for me to understand later if I want to refer back to it in my files. This will accompany a typed out report based on my notes plus memory of the session.
I do this in Paintshop Pro. The digital Sun insert is of course from your excellent program, the Tilting Sun, Les. That program has been so helpful for me ever since you introduced it to the solar forum.
I have a new printer/scanner. This past year has been an expensive one for me with a new printer and a new computer since the old ones kicked the bucket this winter. I'm having to learn all the little quirks that go with this new computer as well as with the scanner part of the printer. It picks up all sorts of artifacts and there's got to be a way to eliminate them easily.
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Erika
Automatic doors make me feel like a Jedi.
Zhumell 16", 10" LX200 Classic,Orion ED80, ETX70-AT, DS Maxscope 60mm
My CN Gallery * 2007 July - tracking NOAA10963
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Erix
Toad Lily
Reged: 12/25/04
Posts: 22340
Loc: Ohio, USA
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Just to show a little progression of the past few years:
Colored watercolor pencils on white paper: Dec 05
Earlier charcoal sketches on white paper: Dec 05
Pastels on white paper with charcoal thrown in: Dec 2005
Combined sketches for earlier solar collages: Jan 16 2006 and Jan 19 2006
Pastels on black construction paper: Jan 2006
Charcoal on white paper with some graphite thrown in. March 2006
Here's the first time I tried Black Strathmore Artagain paper for h-alpha. Arpil 2006
First eruptive prominence: April 2006
Solar animations: July 2007
Watercolor pencils on Strathmore paper: August 07
Current collages and full disk renderings: 2008
I have some projection/white light/h-alpha combined sketches threads here somewhere. They were one disk with all three added together.
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atoptics
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 08/10/06
Posts: 1482
Loc: UK
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Erika’s prominence sketching account inspired me to put down a few thoughts about it, we have different techniques and looking in detail at hers is going to teach a lot. But also, my thanks to Erika for getting me into solar sketching in the first place. My first view of live prominences was a quick peek through someone else’s PST in Turkey just a couple of hours before the magnificent 2006 total eclipse. Bitten immediately by the bug I bought a SolarMax60 that same summer, luckily the astro store did not have an SM90 to demonstrate or I might have left my car with them and walked home with that scope. I soon started doing tiny little graphite pencil sketches and it was immensely comforting on finding Erika’s fine work on SpaceWeather to know that there were other sketchers out there. Erika was immensely encouraging and soon got me into ‘proper’ pastel sketches on black paper.
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Les
Optics Picture of the Day
Atmospheric Optics
TiltingSun
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atoptics
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 08/10/06
Posts: 1482
Loc: UK
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Equipment in order of increasing expense:
Derwent Watercolour pencil (white and black)
White Derwent Studio pencil
White Derwent Drawing pencil
There are other types of pencil in the box and it’s nice to experiment. However, the above are my current favourites. I have migrated completely from pastels to pencils because they make precise marks and a high degree of control is possible with them.
Pencil sharpener - I like to keep the pencils very sharp.
No erasers or blending stumps.
Black Canford A4 pad
(Not shown) Hood cloth black on one side, reflective white on the other. This was made exactly to a design of Sally (The Chemist) and is really excellent.
Vixen PortaMount altazimuth. Very quick to set up and steady.
SM60 single stacked. TV zoom eyepiece, TV 8 and 5mm Radians. I need eyeglasses to see to sketch and the Radians have the needed eye relief.
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Les
Optics Picture of the Day
Atmospheric Optics
TiltingSun
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atoptics
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 08/10/06
Posts: 1482
Loc: UK
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A session always starts with the whole disk through the zoom at 10 - 12mm. After enjoying the view - the sun is always different - a quick graphite pencil sketch is made of the main features. Nothing special and the blanks are only 2.5 inches across. These are just a memo. Afterwards indoors the North-South meridian and the sun’s poles are added using TiltingSun and a protractor. Once that’s done the position angles of proms can be measured. The act of doing the little sketch helps avoid overlooking any interesting detail and leads pretty naturally to deciding whether the seeing is good enough to draw and what to draw.
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Les
Optics Picture of the Day
Atmospheric Optics
TiltingSun
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atoptics
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 08/10/06
Posts: 1482
Loc: UK
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Fairly large proms are the easiest to get started with but avoid selecting too large an area to sketch, better to concentrate on a smaller area and get all the details correct. Proms change quickly and if a sketch takes longer than 10 minutes the features will likely already be different.
Now, today is typical England gloom and so a live sketching sequence can’t be done. Since I like to work entirely under the black hood it would be very bitty and distracting anyway.
Instead I will try to reconstruct a sketch made on 7th May ’08. This was the “1st CN International day of the Sun” when expert photographer Pete Lawrence selected a prominence and everyone agreed to take synchronised images (plus a sketch!) every 30 minutes on the hour and half hour. Knowing that Pete’s Rolls-Royce 70mm Solarscope was imaging at exactly the same time just 150 miles away focussed the mind wonderfully but made the pencils tremble! He also selected the bittyist uglyist fastest changing prom we had ever seen!
Here are two of the original sketches (I will try to re-do the upper one). Flash photography on a dull day is not flattering to sketchwork! The thread showing all the images and sketches plus at the end a giant montage of most of the results is here.
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Les
Optics Picture of the Day
Atmospheric Optics
TiltingSun
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atoptics
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 08/10/06
Posts: 1482
Loc: UK
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Before starting a sketch I like to just sit for 10-15 minutes and take in the area switching sometimes between the 8 mm and zoom eyepieces and, if the seeing is good enough, the 5mm.
As well as having pencils sharp and eyepieces dust free its fun to prepare the mind. It’s good to imagine that you actually are the prominence. If that sound mystical it isn’t meant to be. A stage actor tries to become the character they are portraying to better interpret and reveal it to the world. It’s the same with painting or drawing. Whether it’s a portrait, a landscape, a cabbage or a solar scene, shift your mind to become one with the subject, mentally move around it, feel it, experience it. Somehow the results on paper are always better. Imagine that you really are that skein-like mass of cool glowing neutral hydrogen and plasma. Look at the boiling incandescent surface 50,000 miles below you. With your all seeing eyes check out the magnetic field loops arcing upwards and around you. Feel their support and then the lack of it as they change with your gas and plasma then twisting and sliding in streams and globules towards the cauldron beneath. At some stage during this trip you will want to actually start drawing! Don’t rush into it, plan carefully…
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Les
Optics Picture of the Day
Atmospheric Optics
TiltingSun
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atoptics
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 08/10/06
Posts: 1482
Loc: UK
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OK, I’m going to try reconstructing the 10:00 UT sketch using the original as a basis and not looking at Pete’s excellent photograph that appeared later that afternoon. As in the original, it will take half a page of A4.
As Erika says, getting the right curvature of the solar limb is not easy. I tend to make it too strongly curved (as I did in the original 10:00 sketch) and try to guard against that.
I lightly freehand draw in the limb with the Derwent Studio pencil. Use your arm to get a smooth curve rather than wrist or fingers
The next step is to map out the ‘flow lines‘ and directions of the major features, again using light sharp lines with the Studio pencil. A figure drawing tutor once told me to look for lines and curves that flowed right across the figure and off to the edges of the paper. That works for most compositions, it provides anchors, helps with the proportions and unifies the sketch.
Below are the proms with the (at that time) mental flow lines highlighted in green. You notice distance and size relationships. The distance from the man’s foot at right to the base of the next faint ‘V’ shaped prom is slightly more than the man’s height, and so on. The lines anchor down the way the proms curve.
Another tricky thing is getting proms to tilt relative to the limb at the correct angles. At the time I probably imagined the red line perpendicular to the man’s foot . His head was to the left of the red line and this fixed the tilt of the ‘body’. Human heads are normally firmly over the feet - this guy was either walking fast or about to fall over!
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Les
Optics Picture of the Day
Atmospheric Optics
TiltingSun
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atoptics
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 08/10/06
Posts: 1482
Loc: UK
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That’s all the hard work all done! Now for the sketching, the really fun and fast bit.
I’m going to scan from now on because the flash photos don’t show the faint lines well.
Here are the first marks showing the outline shapes and positions of the proms
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Les
Optics Picture of the Day
Atmospheric Optics
TiltingSun
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atoptics
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 08/10/06
Posts: 1482
Loc: UK
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I remember that the bright inverted ‘V’ at left was changing quickly so I filled in more detail of that - still using a sharp Studio pencil to make fine lines.
Then the ‘head’ and ‘feet’ went in. The foot of the ‘V’ had a little twist to it that flashed up during good seeing.
Hmm just remembered something else - the etalon tuning. My preference is to leave it well alone during a sketch because retuning the etalon can change a prom’s appearance. Some regions of gas move fast and are Doppler shifted. It’s sometimes useful beforehand not to tune to maximum prom brightness - that sometimes makes bright proms opaque and hides their inner detail. Photos can do that too - runs for cover from the wrath of the imagers.
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Les
Optics Picture of the Day
Atmospheric Optics
TiltingSun
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atoptics
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 08/10/06
Posts: 1482
Loc: UK
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Now some more of the tones are put in and while all that was being done the eye noticed the faint surrounding threads and tendrils - they go in too.
One or two details were corrected using a sharp black pencil rather than an eraser. I don’t like erasers because they can soften the lines and are less controllable. Well I’m sure they are, it’s just my prejudices showing!
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Les
Optics Picture of the Day
Atmospheric Optics
TiltingSun
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atoptics
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 08/10/06
Posts: 1482
Loc: UK
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Now it’s time to start adding the brighter tones using a sharp Derwent watercolour pencil. This is held nearly upright and short incisive strokes made. At the same time moments of good seeing are flashing fine details and these are added as they are seen.
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Les
Optics Picture of the Day
Atmospheric Optics
TiltingSun
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atoptics
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 08/10/06
Posts: 1482
Loc: UK
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We are now about 4-5 minutes into the sketch and time to stand back and take stock. Are the main structures correct? What changes need to be made to the relative tones? What about the limb detail? Get the latter in quickly because bright bumps and lumps change quickly there.
The tones are adjusted with more white watercolour and black if absolutley necessary. I’m sparing with black because scanners (or at least mine) do not render it as it appears on the paper. Scanners respond (unfortuantely) to texture and reflectivity as well as pure tone.
Surface lumps and bumps are finished.
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Les
Optics Picture of the Day
Atmospheric Optics
TiltingSun
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atoptics
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 08/10/06
Posts: 1482
Loc: UK
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Finally, the remaining surface is put in with a combination of quick heavy strokes of the Watercolour pencil and the thick Derwent Drawing pencil. It is not uniformly bright or shaped - there are nuances of different tone even when single stacked!
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Les
Optics Picture of the Day
Atmospheric Optics
TiltingSun
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atoptics
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 08/10/06
Posts: 1482
Loc: UK
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And that’s it. Never fiddle with a sketch at this stage however tempting. If it is not accurate it never will be, throw it away. I often will do a series of sketches at 20 - 30 minute intervals and the first can be a dud. The effort is not wasted because the observation in making it warm up the eye and brain.
Again as Erika found, these indoor sketches look somewhat dead. They lack the vitality from being out under the sun and imagining that you are that prominence hanging over the photosphere.
Here is the actual sketch made on the day between 09.55 and 10.07 and for comparison Pete Lawrence’s stacked image made exactly at 10.00
Phew - all that talking took infinitely longer than doing it 
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Les
Optics Picture of the Day
Atmospheric Optics
TiltingSun
Edited by atoptics (05/26/08 11:26 AM)
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darkstar528
Postmaster
Reged: 03/06/07
Posts: 6780
Loc: Hodgenville, Kentucky, USA
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First let me say I feel like a brand new unheard of band going on stage after the Beatles and Rolling Stones...
The first thing I do just prior to viewing is getting my sheet printed with the current weather which I pull from Ft Knox, since it's the closest reporting station to me...Once done it looks like this:
Now I'm ready...
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Blue skies,
Stephen "Darkstar" Ames
PST(#96038), VIXEN 8-24mm,CEMAX 2x Barlow, Thousand Oaks White Light Filter and a Meade Elec EP
CFI, CFII, MEI, working on EIEIO!
BAA Member
My solar site:
http://seemysunspot.com
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darkstar528
Postmaster
Reged: 03/06/07
Posts: 6780
Loc: Hodgenville, Kentucky, USA
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Once I set up and get the sun in the EP I put the towel(large light blue shower towel) I use to block the light over my head and tune ZOOM to 24mm...I use this mag(34x) only to get an overview and to allow my eyes to adjust(it's 34x due to Barlow 2x I use)...I also take this time to adjust the towel for maximum darkness...
This is where I am going to vary greatly from the previous tutorials offered as, in my opinion, they have artistic skills so beyond my level that I'm almost embarrassed to post this along with them...
Where I can't share 'how' I draw something, because honestly, I just draw what I see, I will share how I see what I draw as I think there is a valuable technique there...
Ok, so now I'm setup and my eyes are adjusting as I scan and decide where I'm going to begin...I personally like to start with the limb, why, dunno after thinking about it, it's just the way it's been for as long I can remember...
Let's say the prom I chose to start with is at the 2 o'clock position, I will immediately zoom to 100x and let the prom slowly go thru at least 2 sweeps making sure it goes thru the sweet spot and, again, allowing my eyes to adjust to the dimmer view and greater details...I can't always make my sketches at this magnification but one thing it will do 100% of the time is make any lower magnification brighter and easier to see!...Even if I can see well enough to sketch at 100x I will look at it between 70x-100x before actually starting the sketch to hopefully separate features that may overlap at one particular magnification or bring out details that can't be seen at the higher magnification...I never view below 70x except to get overview...Some features may get up to 10 sweeps if the detail is visible...Scale is still something I have to work on so I won't comment on that...
I want to add that I've read where most people max out between 50x-70x with their PST, as much as I would like to think I have the bestest PST ever built, I think it has more to do with how often I view and my eyes learning and not allowing rust to form on them...As much as I'd rather not admit this, my eyes are not what they used to be so I can only attribute the higher magnification to the amount of viewing I do, this of course is debatable...
Back to the sketch, sometimes when sketching one prom, the next one is already in view or, while scanning that one, caught my attention...If not, I just back the zoom out as far as I need to find the next feature on the limb and rinse and repeat the above procedure until I feel like I've got everything I can see...
Inevitably, from doing the above procedure I will see features on the disk I will want to come back to as the entire disk will have passed thru the EP many times by now...I usually start where I ended up on the limb by taking segments of the disk and start the sweeping process...I prefer this to having a tracking system as each part of the disk will go thru EVERY part of the EP ensuring I see as much as there is...
When it comes to the active regions, I will always draw the plage first as it's easier to see and always seems well defined(to a point), I use the red pen for that...I then draw the dark features closest to the plage working my way out in sort of a spiral until there are no more notable features in that area then on to the next region, rinse and repeat...
Before I'm done I will center the disk and slowly start reducing the magnification checking my sketch against what I'm seeing to see if I missed anything until I'm all the way out...
At this point I'm done unless I want to revisit a particular feature to note changes and/or make mental notes to recheck it later...
Next is putting the image together which is all done in Photoshop...
I scan entire page, reduce size and save...I then take the sketch, hand draw some surface area under areas of the prom I want to crop and enlarge, then rescan...I crop those proms, invert the image, type in the location in white type and save each...I then open a new 15" by 15" new black background file...Now I open the 1st main sketch, use the magic lasso, copy and past that onto the black background then do the same with each additional prom I've cropped and saved placing and sizing them as needed and save...Wallah!...Time to post and archive it!..
Again, I can't help you draw better, but maybe some of my techniques can help take the skills you have to the next level, good luck and thank you if you made it thru that...
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Blue skies,
Stephen "Darkstar" Ames
PST(#96038), VIXEN 8-24mm,CEMAX 2x Barlow, Thousand Oaks White Light Filter and a Meade Elec EP
CFI, CFII, MEI, working on EIEIO!
BAA Member
My solar site:
http://seemysunspot.com
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Erix
Toad Lily
Reged: 12/25/04
Posts: 22340
Loc: Ohio, USA
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Excellent stuff, both of you!!! I really enjoyed reading it all.
No matter how long we've been at it, there is still so much to learn and seeing your techniques has left me with a lot of good food for thought so that I can continue to work for improvements with my sketches and observations. Thank you for taking the time to post your techniques.
Les, that was a good example of imagining curves with the lines. I do a similar thing, imagining the lines for my placements of the brightest portions of the proms to begin the sketch. I will try using a few light lines next time at the beginning of the sketch to see if it makes it easier for me. Also, very good point about using the arm for movement instead of the wrist for limbs. I find using my wrist almost always makes me draw the limb too curved, almost as if my wrist is the point of a compass, restricting a shallower angle.
It was really enjoyable exchanging emails about solar sketching. Your first black paper sketches truly amazed me and continue to do so. The comparison between your sketch and Pete's image says it all and validates sketching through and through. I once read that a person "doesn't have to sketch to be a good observer, but one cannot be a good sketcher without being a good observer."
Stephen, it's also been a joy having you join us in the solar and sketching forums. That's a good point about letting the Sun drift across the FOV with your mount because the features do pop in and out depending on where the sweet spot is. I have the same with my double stacked 60mm, making it easy to miss solar features unless I take the time to move the Sun around in the FOV and tweak the Etalons while observing. I do enjoy tracking so that I can leisurely observe or write notes down without having to bring the Sun back into view, but I miss the carefree ease of moving the Sun around with knobs instead of those danged arrow buttons on my keypad. I have the keypad velcro'ed to the legs of my tripod and always manage to press the wrong buttons while my head is under the black cloth. 
Anyway, your sketches are packed full of good information and very detailed renderings. You should be very pleased with yourself indeed! The cool thing is that we all have our own styles. You see that Les and I both do a small schematic sketch and mine most definitely aren't as detailed as yours. Ralph is also very good with his schematic sketches, and again has his own style. You're a superb observer and your techniques and tips are very much appreciated.
Michael Rosolina was (and still is) a big influence on me learning how to observe and sketch the Sun. One of the best ways for people to improve is to have constructive feedback on their sketches and techniques. I could always count on Michael to be completely honest with me on how I could improve from sketch to sketch, as well as many of the other sketchers here with their advice for me.
So I suppose another great tip is for people to ask for feedback if they'd like it. This will encourage people to speak up and give some advice. If anyone has looked through the links I provided of the progression of my h-alpha sketches, all the feedback was invaluable towards the technique I use today. And I hope that my fellow sketchers will continue to feel free to give me honest feedback so that I can continue to improve.
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Erika
Automatic doors make me feel like a Jedi.
Zhumell 16", 10" LX200 Classic,Orion ED80, ETX70-AT, DS Maxscope 60mm
My CN Gallery * 2007 July - tracking NOAA10963
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atoptics
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 08/10/06
Posts: 1482
Loc: UK
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Stephen, you are an outstanding observer and your comments about letting the sun move across the field are excellent ones. I suspect that my single stacked SM60 has less of a sweet spot than the PST or Erika’s double stacked SM60. However, one does exist and it helps to be able to yank a feature around the FOV with the big slow motion knobs (Erika - I also dislike those little buttons!).
There is another effect beyond the sweet spot one. It is something related to how we use averted vision to see faint galaxies. When the FOV is moved manually back and forth I find that faint prom features show up much better. This was very evident while drawing the recent eruptive prom.
The eye seems to be able to better perceive very small differences in contrast when the field is moving. Electric slow motions are too slow and measured to show it as well, rocking the field back and forth with the manual knob works fine. Less is more .
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Les
Optics Picture of the Day
Atmospheric Optics
TiltingSun
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darkstar528
Postmaster
Reged: 03/06/07
Posts: 6780
Loc: Hodgenville, Kentucky, USA
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Thank you both for the kind words and the unselfish help and guidance you've offered along the way!...
I also want to add without this site, I'd probably still be sketching like this:
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Blue skies,
Stephen "Darkstar" Ames
PST(#96038), VIXEN 8-24mm,CEMAX 2x Barlow, Thousand Oaks White Light Filter and a Meade Elec EP
CFI, CFII, MEI, working on EIEIO!
BAA Member
My solar site:
http://seemysunspot.com
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atoptics
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 08/10/06
Posts: 1482
Loc: UK
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We all have a really big debt to CN - Without it ...
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Les
Optics Picture of the Day
Atmospheric Optics
TiltingSun
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Erix
Toad Lily
Reged: 12/25/04
Posts: 22340
Loc: Ohio, USA
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I know exactly what you mean.
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Erika
Automatic doors make me feel like a Jedi.
Zhumell 16", 10" LX200 Classic,Orion ED80, ETX70-AT, DS Maxscope 60mm
My CN Gallery * 2007 July - tracking NOAA10963
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Erix
Toad Lily
Reged: 12/25/04
Posts: 22340
Loc: Ohio, USA
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Quote:
There is another effect beyond the sweet spot one. It is something related to how we use averted vision to see faint galaxies. When the FOV is moved manually back and forth I find that faint prom features show up much better. This was very evident while drawing the recent eruptive prom.
The eye seems to be able to better perceive very small differences in contrast when the field is moving. Electric slow motions are too slow and measured to show it as well, rocking the field back and forth with the manual knob works fine. Less is more .
Well said and very true. This is also something I try to keep in mind while white light observing. On the vast white solar disk, it's very easy to miss faculae and very small sunpsots. I hear people say that they can only see faculae close to the limb. But increasing contrast by playing with magnification and by very slowly moving the Sun around in the FOV, often you can detect shades on the white disk. I find faculae nearer a 3rd or sometimes even closer to center by using this technique.
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Erika
Automatic doors make me feel like a Jedi.
Zhumell 16", 10" LX200 Classic,Orion ED80, ETX70-AT, DS Maxscope 60mm
My CN Gallery * 2007 July - tracking NOAA10963
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Ralph Marantino
Postmaster
Reged: 05/01/05
Posts: 6330
Loc: Old Bridge, New Jersey
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Hello fellow Solar afficianados,I have been sketching the Sun on a daily basis since October 1989.I started with a self composed observing form,a number two pencil,a black fine point marker and an 80mm f 6.25 refractor and a Thousand oaks type 2 Glass white light filter.I would draw in the dark cenral Umbra with the black fine point marker and connect the outer and inner rings of the penumbra with attaching lines.I allways try to keek the Sunspots as well as all other Solar features (h-alpha and calcium k Line) to the same scale on the Solar disk as I see in my eyepiece.
I have changed the observing equipment for "white light" to a 101mm f 5.4 Televue Genisis SDF and a 2 inch APM Herschel wedge but I still continue to draw the Sunspots the same way
When I graduated to a 1.5A 1000 Oaks H-alpha filter and an 8 inch SCT I just used a fine pointy red marker to draw in the prominences.I bought a Daystar .65 Angstrom ATM H-alpha filter that now allowed me to observe and sketch fine detail of Solar activity on the Sun's diak.I use the same fine point red marker for filaments and the Granulation of the disk and when there are active regions I draw them in with an orange marker that closely matches the color of the flare.I use a fine point Purple marker to draw in the outlines of the Calcium k Line plages and also use the purple marker for the cal k granulation.I fill the Cal K regions in with a blue highliter the same shade as I see with my cataract fixed eyes.I just recieved a LHIRES LITE Spectrometer and will use the black fine point marker and a host of multi colored highliters to try and sketch the spectra.It all is really easy with a little practice.We now have many pencil pushers on cloudy nights all with thier own interesting individuakl styles.Please give it a try.I allmost forgot I allways go out the earliest that I can before the Sun heats up the atmosphere too much.
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Lunt H-alpha LS100THa/B3400
Rockland Astronomy Club
Member BAA Solar Section
Central Appalachian Astronomy Club
Astronomical League
DSPST,PST & 70mm Coronado Cal K telescope.2.2A
Zeiss 2 inch prism diagonal&Zeiss Zoom EP
2inch APM Herschel Wedge in a 94mm F7 Brandon
14.5 inch f4.2 Starmaster Dob(Zambuto mirror)
TeleView Genisis SDF with 1000 Oaks Glass filter
Zeiss 63mm f13.5 refractor 1000 Oaks Glass filter
Itty Bitty Solar Radio Telescope.
LHRIES Lite Solar Spectrometer
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Ralph Marantino
Postmaster
Reged: 05/01/05
Posts: 6330
Loc: Old Bridge, New Jersey
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#2
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Lunt H-alpha LS100THa/B3400
Rockland Astronomy Club
Member BAA Solar Section
Central Appalachian Astronomy Club
Astronomical League
DSPST,PST & 70mm Coronado Cal K telescope.2.2A
Zeiss 2 inch prism diagonal&Zeiss Zoom EP
2inch APM Herschel Wedge in a 94mm F7 Brandon
14.5 inch f4.2 Starmaster Dob(Zambuto mirror)
TeleView Genisis SDF with 1000 Oaks Glass filter
Zeiss 63mm f13.5 refractor 1000 Oaks Glass filter
Itty Bitty Solar Radio Telescope.
LHRIES Lite Solar Spectrometer
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Ralph Marantino
Postmaster
Reged: 05/01/05
Posts: 6330
Loc: Old Bridge, New Jersey
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#3
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Lunt H-alpha LS100THa/B3400
Rockland Astronomy Club
Member BAA Solar Section
Central Appalachian Astronomy Club
Astronomical League
DSPST,PST & 70mm Coronado Cal K telescope.2.2A
Zeiss 2 inch prism diagonal&Zeiss Zoom EP
2inch APM Herschel Wedge in a 94mm F7 Brandon
14.5 inch f4.2 Starmaster Dob(Zambuto mirror)
TeleView Genisis SDF with 1000 Oaks Glass filter
Zeiss 63mm f13.5 refractor 1000 Oaks Glass filter
Itty Bitty Solar Radio Telescope.
LHRIES Lite Solar Spectrometer
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Ralph Marantino
Postmaster
Reged: 05/01/05
Posts: 6330
Loc: Old Bridge, New Jersey
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|
#4
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Lunt H-alpha LS100THa/B3400
Rockland Astronomy Club
Member BAA Solar Section
Central Appalachian Astronomy Club
Astronomical League
DSPST,PST & 70mm Coronado Cal K telescope.2.2A
Zeiss 2 inch prism diagonal&Zeiss Zoom EP
2inch APM Herschel Wedge in a 94mm F7 Brandon
14.5 inch f4.2 Starmaster Dob(Zambuto mirror)
TeleView Genisis SDF with 1000 Oaks Glass filter
Zeiss 63mm f13.5 refractor 1000 Oaks Glass filter
Itty Bitty Solar Radio Telescope.
LHRIES Lite Solar Spectrometer
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atoptics
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 08/10/06
Posts: 1482
Loc: UK
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Thanks Ralph. It's great the way you combine on a daily basis observations at so many wavelengths and bandwidths. And those white light sunspots are truly dynamic.
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Les
Optics Picture of the Day
Atmospheric Optics
TiltingSun
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Erix
Toad Lily
Reged: 12/25/04
Posts: 22340
Loc: Ohio, USA
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Thanks so much for joining in Ralph! Your combined sketches have always been favorites of mine and it's not an easy task to do. Do all of your scopes have the same solar orientation? Or do you have to mentally reverse one or two of the views while sketching?
Quote:
I just recieved a LHIRES LITE Spectrometer and will use the black fine point marker and a host of multi colored highliters to try and sketch the spectra.
I'm really looking forward to this.
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Erika
Automatic doors make me feel like a Jedi.
Zhumell 16", 10" LX200 Classic,Orion ED80, ETX70-AT, DS Maxscope 60mm
My CN Gallery * 2007 July - tracking NOAA10963
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Special Ed
Post Laureate
Reged: 05/18/03
Posts: 4287
Loc: Greenbrier Co., WV 38N, 80W
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Erika, Les, Stephen, Ralph,
 Thank you all for contributing to this thread--it is packed full of information which I am digesting in chunks and re-reading. Who says an old dog can't learn new tricks?  I hope I can make a contribution of my own soon.
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Michael Rosolina
8" f/10 Orange Tube SCT
4.25" f/4.2 Astroscan Reflector
SVP 3.6" f/13.6 CA Reflector
40mm PST f/10
APM Germany HD 15x70 binoculars
Canon 12x36 IS II binoculars
Mark I Eyeball
My CN Gallery
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Erix
Toad Lily
Reged: 12/25/04
Posts: 22340
Loc: Ohio, USA
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Michael, you're contributions will be a very welcome addition, especially with all the great advice and encouragement you've given me for sketching and observing since I've joined CN.
I thought I had a few old tutorials for white light sketching laying around, but can't put my finger on them. The disk is currently blank so if an active region or two don't pop up soon, I can see about resketching an old sketch for that kind of tutorial. Michael, do you have any available for white light?
Here's a color tutorial I photographed yesterday while sketching. To begin, I keep in mind the color wheel because when I was in high school my art teacher told me to use opposite colors on the color wheel to shade and also to help me see what colors will blend to produce different results. The later is easy to do by practicing on a sheet of paper. Shading with the opposite color is best with a color wheel. Since I don't carry a color wheel with me, I had to go by memory from colors I use with landscaping. In other words, purple goes well with yellow and greens go well with reds. If I want to shade an area of my yellow patch on the sketch, I grab a purple pencil, and so forth.
This is what my sketch kit looks like for the most part. Each bag is for a different type of sketch. I have a graphite bag, black paper bag, charcoal bag, and color pencil bag. I also have an assortment of color Conte' crayons.
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Erika
Automatic doors make me feel like a Jedi.
Zhumell 16", 10" LX200 Classic,Orion ED80, ETX70-AT, DS Maxscope 60mm
My CN Gallery * 2007 July - tracking NOAA10963
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Erix
Toad Lily
Reged: 12/25/04
Posts: 22340
Loc: Ohio, USA
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When I sketch the sun in color, I normally use Conte' crayons. The problem is, I just don't have good control of the colors with the crayons. The Sun is very bright, which the crayons portray well, but I have a hard time with them looking a bit like a comic book instead of what I really see at the eyepiece.
Here's a magenta/redish crayon that just doesn't quite match the view in the EP.
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Erika
Automatic doors make me feel like a Jedi.
Zhumell 16", 10" LX200 Classic,Orion ED80, ETX70-AT, DS Maxscope 60mm
My CN Gallery * 2007 July - tracking NOAA10963
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Erix
Toad Lily
Reged: 12/25/04
Posts: 22340
Loc: Ohio, USA
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Using three different shades of magenta/red/orange, it was getting closer.
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Erika
Automatic doors make me feel like a Jedi.
Zhumell 16", 10" LX200 Classic,Orion ED80, ETX70-AT, DS Maxscope 60mm
My CN Gallery * 2007 July - tracking NOAA10963
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Erix
Toad Lily
Reged: 12/25/04
Posts: 22340
Loc: Ohio, USA
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Here's an example of three similar shades in Prang watercolor.
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Erika
Automatic doors make me feel like a Jedi.
Zhumell 16", 10" LX200 Classic,Orion ED80, ETX70-AT, DS Maxscope 60mm
My CN Gallery * 2007 July - tracking NOAA10963
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Erix
Toad Lily
Reged: 12/25/04
Posts: 22340
Loc: Ohio, USA
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Didn't care for that one either, so tried a little bit of pink with yellow/orange, and a hot orange. That one brought out the brightness that I needed.
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Erika
Automatic doors make me feel like a Jedi.
Zhumell 16", 10" LX200 Classic,Orion ED80, ETX70-AT, DS Maxscope 60mm
My CN Gallery * 2007 July - tracking NOAA10963
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Erix
Toad Lily
Reged: 12/25/04
Posts: 22340
Loc: Ohio, USA
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Using that color combination, I then proceeded with the proms using the same technique as with my white sketches on black paper. The proms are generally darker in appearance than the disk, so I used a darker shade from Prang called Lake Red.
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Erika
Automatic doors make me feel like a Jedi.
Zhumell 16", 10" LX200 Classic,Orion ED80, ETX70-AT, DS Maxscope 60mm
My CN Gallery * 2007 July - tracking NOAA10963
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Erix
Toad Lily
Reged: 12/25/04
Posts: 22340
Loc: Ohio, USA
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Those initial markings were the brightest areas and what I saw initially when I observed that area of the limb. After looking closer, I was able to add more fainter detail with that same color. These waxy watercolor pencils don't like to blend with fingertips that easily, so I had to use a very gentle touch as they are very different from my chalks and charcoals.
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Erika
Automatic doors make me feel like a Jedi.
Zhumell 16", 10" LX200 Classic,Orion ED80, ETX70-AT, DS Maxscope 60mm
My CN Gallery * 2007 July - tracking NOAA10963
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Erix
Toad Lily
Reged: 12/25/04
Posts: 22340
Loc: Ohio, USA
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I decided to grab the highlighted bits next with an orange pencil. Those areas at the base of the proms really had that "pop" to them that I had to capture by pencil.
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Erika
Automatic doors make me feel like a Jedi.
Zhumell 16", 10" LX200 Classic,Orion ED80, ETX70-AT, DS Maxscope 60mm
My CN Gallery * 2007 July - tracking NOAA10963
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Erix
Toad Lily
Reged: 12/25/04
Posts: 22340
Loc: Ohio, USA
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And finally a magenta/red color that is a 3 red for the faintest wispy portions of the prom that was barely viewable.
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Erika
Automatic doors make me feel like a Jedi.
Zhumell 16", 10" LX200 Classic,Orion ED80, ETX70-AT, DS Maxscope 60mm
My CN Gallery * 2007 July - tracking NOAA10963
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Erix
Toad Lily
Reged: 12/25/04
Posts: 22340
Loc: Ohio, USA
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Here is the finished prom after scanning in. I still have to get used to the new scanner and this time used "despeckle" to get rid of all the white artifacts that splattered all over my scanned sketch.
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Erika
Automatic doors make me feel like a Jedi.
Zhumell 16", 10" LX200 Classic,Orion ED80, ETX70-AT, DS Maxscope 60mm
My CN Gallery * 2007 July - tracking NOAA10963
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atoptics
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 08/10/06
Posts: 1482
Loc: UK
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Erika, the loose color mixing in your latest demo has achieved a very vigorous and lively drawing. Using complementaries as you suggest (crimson<->green, yellow<->purple/blue) creates vigour. Laying colors next to one another or loose cross hatching and letting the eye mix them rather than by blending adds to it. I've been experimenting (indoors) with Conte crayons and pencils this morning - so far with miserable results.  I suspect, for me at least, they need something like A3 or larger.
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Les
Optics Picture of the Day
Atmospheric Optics
TiltingSun
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darkstar528
Postmaster
Reged: 03/06/07
Posts: 6780
Loc: Hodgenville, Kentucky, USA
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I took a coupe of pics the other day(late evening view) so you can see how ridiculous I look while viewing LOL
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Blue skies,
Stephen "Darkstar" Ames
PST(#96038), VIXEN 8-24mm,CEMAX 2x Barlow, Thousand Oaks White Light Filter and a Meade Elec EP
CFI, CFII, MEI, working on EIEIO!
BAA Member
My solar site:
http://seemysunspot.com
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darkstar528
Postmaster
Reged: 03/06/07
Posts: 6780
Loc: Hodgenville, Kentucky, USA
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Another angle...Yes, there is a 9x12 sketch pad under there with me...
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Blue skies,
Stephen "Darkstar" Ames
PST(#96038), VIXEN 8-24mm,CEMAX 2x Barlow, Thousand Oaks White Light Filter and a Meade Elec EP
CFI, CFII, MEI, working on EIEIO!
BAA Member
My solar site:
http://seemysunspot.com
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Jeff Young
Post Laureate
Reged: 08/04/05
Posts: 4112
Loc: Ireland
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Great stuff, everyone.
I'm going to swap out my black fleece jacket for a blue terrycloth towel so I can look as cool as Stephen.
Cheers,
-- Jeff.
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Nikon 18x70s / UA Millennium Colorado:
Solarscope SF70 / TV Pronto / AP400QMD Coronado SolarMax40 DS / Bogen 055+3130
APM MC1610 / Tak FC-100 / AP1200GTO Tak Mewlon 250 / AP600EGTO
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darkstar528
Postmaster
Reged: 03/06/07
Posts: 6780
Loc: Hodgenville, Kentucky, USA
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In the hot months like now, it becomes a multi-purpose tool! ;-)
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Blue skies,
Stephen "Darkstar" Ames
PST(#96038), VIXEN 8-24mm,CEMAX 2x Barlow, Thousand Oaks White Light Filter and a Meade Elec EP
CFI, CFII, MEI, working on EIEIO!
BAA Member
My solar site:
http://seemysunspot.com
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Jeff Young
Post Laureate
Reged: 08/04/05
Posts: 4112
Loc: Ireland
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Stephen --
Ahh... you give me fond memories of the south. (I grew up in Knoxville, TN.) But here in Ireland, the "hot months" are the ones where it might, just might, get over 70°F. 
-- Jeff.
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Nikon 18x70s / UA Millennium Colorado:
Solarscope SF70 / TV Pronto / AP400QMD Coronado SolarMax40 DS / Bogen 055+3130
APM MC1610 / Tak FC-100 / AP1200GTO Tak Mewlon 250 / AP600EGTO
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Acheron
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 08/07/05
Posts: 776
Loc: Croatia, Velika Gorica
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Nice tattoo Stephen!
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I like sketching...
8" F6 Dob - "Betsy"
12" F5 Dob - "Tristac"
25x100 Binos
Messier Catalogue - done
Herschel 400 - 189 more to go
http://www.inet.hr/~vevrhova/english/index
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Special Ed
Post Laureate
Reged: 05/18/03
Posts: 4287
Loc: Greenbrier Co., WV 38N, 80W
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Hi,
I'd like to add to this tutorial thread with a presentation on white light sketching using a combination of unfiltered projection and observation utilizing a full aperture filter. It doesn't appear that the Sun is going to cooperate by producing a large sunspot group, so I'm going to recreate the steps (just like as seen on TV ) using a sketch I did about 4 years ago.
Let me note here that many people are wary of eyepiece projection. I think that attitude is prudent--in fact, one should be very careful with any type of solar observing--you're literally playing with fire.
That said, solar projection can be done safely and with no damage to equipment if certain procedures are followed and precautions taken.
* It isn't necessary or desirable to use a big scope--60mm to 100mm is adequate. Bigger scopes and SCT's have the potential to build up too much heat. Use a small refractor or reflector.
* Likewise, use a simple low power eyepiece, not an expensive one with multi lenses cemented together. The heat build up may melt the cement.
* A tracking mount is not required. I actually prefer to let the Sun drift out of the FOV to reduce the potential for heat buildup.
* Locate the Sun using the shortest shadow method (more on this later). If you have a finderscope, keep the lens cap on it at all times.
* Never look directly at the Sun with a telescope (or binoculars) unless you are using an approved solar filter designed for the job.
* Never leave your scope unattended when it is pointed at the Sun.
OK, if I haven't scared you off, let's get started. 
--------------------
Michael Rosolina
8" f/10 Orange Tube SCT
4.25" f/4.2 Astroscan Reflector
SVP 3.6" f/13.6 CA Reflector
40mm PST f/10
APM Germany HD 15x70 binoculars
Canon 12x36 IS II binoculars
Mark I Eyeball
My CN Gallery
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Special Ed
Post Laureate
Reged: 05/18/03
Posts: 4287
Loc: Greenbrier Co., WV 38N, 80W
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To begin with, I use a piece of sketchpaper with a circle template backed with smooth cardboard on a clipboard. The circle should be 100mm to 150mm in diameter. My template is 106mm because I have something handy that size that I can trace around. You can download observation forms with templates off the Web-- here is one example. For this sketch, I will use an HB and a 2B pencil, a blending stump, and a kneadable eraser.
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Michael Rosolina
8" f/10 Orange Tube SCT
4.25" f/4.2 Astroscan Reflector
SVP 3.6" f/13.6 CA Reflector
40mm PST f/10
APM Germany HD 15x70 binoculars
Canon 12x36 IS II binoculars
Mark I Eyeball
My CN Gallery
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Special Ed
Post Laureate
Reged: 05/18/03
Posts: 4287
Loc: Greenbrier Co., WV 38N, 80W
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The scope I use for projection is a 4.25" (108mm) Astroscan reflector with a 15mm RKE eyepiece yielding 30x.
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Michael Rosolina
8" f/10 Orange Tube SCT
4.25" f/4.2 Astroscan Reflector
SVP 3.6" f/13.6 CA Reflector
40mm PST f/10
APM Germany HD 15x70 binoculars
Canon 12x36 IS II binoculars
Mark I Eyeball
My CN Gallery
|
Special Ed
Post Laureate
Reged: 05/18/03
Posts: 4287
Loc: Greenbrier Co., WV 38N, 80W
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Before you can project the Sun, you must find it. Make sure the objective cover (and finderscope cap) is on. Point the scope at the Sun's general direction and with your back to the sun, move the scope around until it makes the smallest shadow. Because the Astroscan has such an odd shape, I usually watch the shadow of the base of the Rigel QwikFinder. This might sound difficult, but it gets easier with practice and is the safest way (unless you happen to have a dedicated solar finderscope). Once you've made the smallest shadow, take off the objective cap and put your paper opposite the ep to see if you have captured the Daystar.
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Michael Rosolina
8" f/10 Orange Tube SCT
4.25" f/4.2 Astroscan Reflector
SVP 3.6" f/13.6 CA Reflector
40mm PST f/10
APM Germany HD 15x70 binoculars
Canon 12x36 IS II binoculars
Mark I Eyeball
My CN Gallery
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Special Ed
Post Laureate
Reged: 05/18/03
Posts: 4287
Loc: Greenbrier Co., WV 38N, 80W
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Now you can move your clipboard away from the eyepiece until the solar image fills the template. You can make the image very big if you want--I once read an article about an amateur who projected it onto the wall of his garage. You must hold the paper square to the eyepiece or you will get an oval as shown here.
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Michael Rosolina
8" f/10 Orange Tube SCT
4.25" f/4.2 Astroscan Reflector
SVP 3.6" f/13.6 CA Reflector
40mm PST f/10
APM Germany HD 15x70 binoculars
Canon 12x36 IS II binoculars
Mark I Eyeball
My CN Gallery
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Special Ed
Post Laureate
Reged: 05/18/03
Posts: 4287
Loc: Greenbrier Co., WV 38N, 80W
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After you find the right distance and angle, you can fine tune the focus, making the solar limb sharp. You may have to adjust focus from time to time to see granulation or sunpots better.
You will also need to have some way to support your clipboard while you trace the sunspots. Depending on the solar declination at the time of the sketch, I might prop the clipboard on an eyepiece case or stack of cases. In this example, I have moved the scope so I can rest the clipboard on the deck railing.
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Michael Rosolina
8" f/10 Orange Tube SCT
4.25" f/4.2 Astroscan Reflector
SVP 3.6" f/13.6 CA Reflector
40mm PST f/10
APM Germany HD 15x70 binoculars
Canon 12x36 IS II binoculars
Mark I Eyeball
My CN Gallery
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Special Ed
Post Laureate
Reged: 05/18/03
Posts: 4287
Loc: Greenbrier Co., WV 38N, 80W
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Now I'm ready to trace the location and shape of any sunspot groups. To determine solar orientation it's good to be aware of how your setup projects the Sun's image. The projection is always the mirror image of the eyepiece view. My reflector projects an upside down image that is correct east to west as will a refractor that is projecting straight through. If you use a star diagonal with your refractor, the projected image will be correct east to west with north up.
If you watch how the sunspots drift through your field of view, you will be able to find east-west no matter what the Sun's inclination is (they will drift to the west). The Sun's polar axis will be 90° from the E-W drift line. You can then tilt your clipboard to orient the Sun correctly on your sketch.
Determining solar orientation is easier when there are a lot of sunspots. In these days of solar minimum, Les Cowley's excellent TiltingSun application is invaluable. I'll be consulting it even at solar maximum.
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Michael Rosolina
8" f/10 Orange Tube SCT
4.25" f/4.2 Astroscan Reflector
SVP 3.6" f/13.6 CA Reflector
40mm PST f/10
APM Germany HD 15x70 binoculars
Canon 12x36 IS II binoculars
Mark I Eyeball
My CN Gallery
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Special Ed
Post Laureate
Reged: 05/18/03
Posts: 4287
Loc: Greenbrier Co., WV 38N, 80W
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When you're tracing the projection, it helps to see detail better if you can keep your paper shaded. Depending on your scope setup, you can place a shade over the end of the scope, put your clipboard inside a shallow box, or project into a shaded area like beneath a porch roof, to name a few examples.
This is what my template looks like while I'm tracing the sunpots.
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Michael Rosolina
8" f/10 Orange Tube SCT
4.25" f/4.2 Astroscan Reflector
SVP 3.6" f/13.6 CA Reflector
40mm PST f/10
APM Germany HD 15x70 binoculars
Canon 12x36 IS II binoculars
Mark I Eyeball
My CN Gallery
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Special Ed
Post Laureate
Reged: 05/18/03
Posts: 4287
Loc: Greenbrier Co., WV 38N, 80W
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When I first began solar sketching, I completed the sunspot groups using projection only. I found that I couldn't get the detail I wanted, so I started combining projection (to accurately place the sunspot groups) with eyepiece observation at higher power using a solar filter. This is a little tricky because the eyepiece view is reversed from the projection but with practice it becomes easier. I use a homemade filter made from Baader AstroSolar film. It's good stuff.
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Michael Rosolina
8" f/10 Orange Tube SCT
4.25" f/4.2 Astroscan Reflector
SVP 3.6" f/13.6 CA Reflector
40mm PST f/10
APM Germany HD 15x70 binoculars
Canon 12x36 IS II binoculars
Mark I Eyeball
My CN Gallery
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Special Ed
Post Laureate
Reged: 05/18/03
Posts: 4287
Loc: Greenbrier Co., WV 38N, 80W
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With the Baader filter in place, I'm ready to add detail to the active regions, including the umbra, penumbra (with radial lines if the seeing permits), pores, etc. I use the different pencils for different tones as well as the stump.
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Michael Rosolina
8" f/10 Orange Tube SCT
4.25" f/4.2 Astroscan Reflector
SVP 3.6" f/13.6 CA Reflector
40mm PST f/10
APM Germany HD 15x70 binoculars
Canon 12x36 IS II binoculars
Mark I Eyeball
My CN Gallery
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Special Ed
Post Laureate
Reged: 05/18/03
Posts: 4287
Loc: Greenbrier Co., WV 38N, 80W
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One of the last things I add to the sketch is the limb darkening that is usually evident when observing in white light. I use a stump loaded with graphite and blend with my finger.
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Michael Rosolina
8" f/10 Orange Tube SCT
4.25" f/4.2 Astroscan Reflector
SVP 3.6" f/13.6 CA Reflector
40mm PST f/10
APM Germany HD 15x70 binoculars
Canon 12x36 IS II binoculars
Mark I Eyeball
My CN Gallery
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Special Ed
Post Laureate
Reged: 05/18/03
Posts: 4287
Loc: Greenbrier Co., WV 38N, 80W
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To finish up, I add the time/date in UT, cardinal directions, scope and condition details, and any relevant notes. I taught myself how to do white light sketching using trial and error and the experience of others. My technique isn't perfect--indeed I'm still tweaking it every time I go out--so I encourage others to take my experience outlined here and add your own ideas to it as you experiment.
Using the process recreated above, I ended up with this sketch. Good luck with your own sketching.
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Michael Rosolina
8" f/10 Orange Tube SCT
4.25" f/4.2 Astroscan Reflector
SVP 3.6" f/13.6 CA Reflector
40mm PST f/10
APM Germany HD 15x70 binoculars
Canon 12x36 IS II binoculars
Mark I Eyeball
My CN Gallery
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frank5817
Post Laureate
Reged: 06/13/06
Posts: 4084
Loc: Illinois
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Hey All you Great Sketchers!
This has become a wonderful and ever growing how to thread. The pictures save many words and are great. Thank you all.
Frank
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my gallery
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markseibold
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 01/19/08
Posts: 1082
Loc: Portland Oregon
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Michael
I am learning to appreciate the finer points here in CN with all the great tutorials like yours.
When I took a 10,000 mile solo road trip across the US ~ Canadian continent in 2000 with an 8 inch Cassegrain and Daystar h-alpha to allow thousands of people in the streets to see huge prominences and surface detail; I accidentally drove by the location just west an hour from Bismarck North Dakota. This is where Jay Brausch lives, the famed sunspot recorder-sketcher for thousands of hours. I met him and talked for a short while.
When I initially drove into the local town, cannot remember the name now, I walked onto the local bar and asked where Brausch lived. What transpired over the next half hour was initially anger and berating of him as locals thought he was nuts to stare at the sun and complain of light pollution at night while photographing the aurora; I explained that what he is doing is great in the name of science and education. They were all silent to my statement in the bar. Then I left and when I arrived at his place up the street, a gentleman from the bar pulled up to get out and apologize to Brausch, speaking for the rest of the town for the first time - Mark
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Special Ed
Post Laureate
Reged: 05/18/03
Posts: 4287
Loc: Greenbrier Co., WV 38N, 80W
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Frank,
Thanks for the encouragement.
Mark,
I've read about Jay Brausch in S&T--that's a great story.
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Michael Rosolina
8" f/10 Orange Tube SCT
4.25" f/4.2 Astroscan Reflector
SVP 3.6" f/13.6 CA Reflector
40mm PST f/10
APM Germany HD 15x70 binoculars
Canon 12x36 IS II binoculars
Mark I Eyeball
My CN Gallery
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CarlosEH
Post Laureate
Reged: 01/19/05
Posts: 4132
Loc: Pembroke Pines, Broward County...
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Michael,
An excellent tutorial on how you make your solar observations. It appears to be a very good method for any observer to employ. Thank you for sharing it with us all. I look forward to your future osbervations.
Carlos
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rodelaet
Post Laureate
Reged: 04/28/06
Posts: 3063
Loc: 50°56' N - 4°58' E (Belgium)
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Michael,
This is one of the clearest tutorials that I've ever seen.
And it makes me to grow an appetite for solar observing!
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Rony
My Astronomical Sketches
My Binocular Sketches
Callibrate your Monitor with this little strip.
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Special Ed
Post Laureate
Reged: 05/18/03
Posts: 4287
Loc: Greenbrier Co., WV 38N, 80W
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Thanks to all for your very kind words.
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Michael Rosolina
8" f/10 Orange Tube SCT
4.25" f/4.2 Astroscan Reflector
SVP 3.6" f/13.6 CA Reflector
40mm PST f/10
APM Germany HD 15x70 binoculars
Canon 12x36 IS II binoculars
Mark I Eyeball
My CN Gallery
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Erix
Toad Lily
Reged: 12/25/04
Posts: 22340
Loc: Ohio, USA
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Superb, Michael! Thanks so much for doing this tutorial for us. Although you've taught this technique to me a few years ago so that I could do projection/eyepiece sketches in white light too, this tutorial with photos really fine tunes it for me. You've taught me so since I've joined CN and it's always a treat to see your observations and sketches so that I can continue to learn by your example.
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Erika
Automatic doors make me feel like a Jedi.
Zhumell 16", 10" LX200 Classic,Orion ED80, ETX70-AT, DS Maxscope 60mm
My CN Gallery * 2007 July - tracking NOAA10963
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Special Ed
Post Laureate
Reged: 05/18/03
Posts: 4287
Loc: Greenbrier Co., WV 38N, 80W
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Thanks, Erika! You are the student every teacher hopes for.
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Michael Rosolina
8" f/10 Orange Tube SCT
4.25" f/4.2 Astroscan Reflector
SVP 3.6" f/13.6 CA Reflector
40mm PST f/10
APM Germany HD 15x70 binoculars
Canon 12x36 IS II binoculars
Mark I Eyeball
My CN Gallery
|
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