frank5817
Postmaster
Reged: 06/13/06
Loc: Illinois
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Craters Kepler and Encke
#4387187 - 02/15/11 01:01 AM Attachment (65 downloads)
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At nearly 11 days into the current lunation sunrise has just finished for the rim of crater
Kepler. Even during this early morning view, some of the brightest rays of this crater were seen radiating eastward from the ramparts on that side. Kepler is a 31 kilometer diameter complex crater with a low central peak and a flat debris covered floor from inner wall slumping. As I saw it during the time of this sketch, the floor was in complete darkness and had the perception of great depth. Crater Kepler lies between the Oceanus Procellarum and the Mare Insularum both of which consist of dark surface lavas.
The Jesuit astronomer Giovanni Battista Riccioli named Crater Kepler about 28 years after the death of Johannes Kepler. He also named Crater Tycho after Tycho Brahe, the man with the accurate data measurements that helped make Kepler famous for his three laws of planetary motion.
I was hoping to include Rima Milichius in this sketch but the seeing was so poor I never saw a hint of it even at its widest part that would have been located in the lower left corner of the sketch.
The other crater captured in this sketch is 1 kilometer smaller in diameter and 3 times older than Kepler. This is crater Encke named after 19th century German astronomer Johann Franz Encke. The rubble-covered floor of this crater was well illuminated because of its greater distance from the terminator and much shallower depth.
Sketching and Equipment:
For this sketch, I used black Strathmore 400 Artagain paper 9” x 12”, white and
black Conte’ pastel pencils and blending stumps.
Telesccope: 13.1 inch f/6 Dobsonian and 9 mm eyepiece (222x) riding on an equatorial platform
Date: 2-14-2011, 00:30-02:00 UT
Temperature: 4° C (40° F)
Partly cloudy, very windy
Seeing: Very poor - Antoniadi IV-V
Colongitude 39.8 °
Lunation 10.9 days
Illumination 96.7 %
Frank McCabe
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Uwe Pilz
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 05/16/08
Loc: Leipzig, Germany
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Re: Craters Kepler and Encke
[Re: frank5817]
#4387243 - 02/15/11 02:02 AM
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Dear Frank,
I like the way you render the rough parts of the surface and the rays. Overall, a fine sketch.
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JayinUT
I'm not Sleepy
Reged: 09/19/08
Loc: Utah
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Re: Craters Kepler and Encke
[Re: Uwe Pilz]
#4387248 - 02/15/11 02:11 AM
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Frank,
As always, masterful and enjoyable. Thank you for sharing.
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Mizar76
member
Reged: 01/07/11
Loc: Rome, Italy
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Re: Craters Kepler and Encke
[Re: JayinUT]
#4387316 - 02/15/11 04:08 AM
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A awesome sketch!
Compliments
Mizar76
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PierreDesvaux
Vendor (Dobsonian Factory)
Reged: 11/06/06
Loc: Paris, France
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Re: Craters Kepler and Encke
[Re: Mizar76]
#4387378 - 02/15/11 06:20 AM
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A very nice sketch! You do master the technic!
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niteskystargazer
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 10/05/09
Loc: 41-43'-28" N 87-42'-39" W
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Re: Craters Kepler and Encke
[Re: frank5817]
#4388424 - 02/15/11 03:56 PM
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Frank,
Nice sketch of Kepler and Encke  .
CS,KLU,
 ,
Tom
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cpl43uk
sage
Reged: 02/09/08
Loc: Bristol, UK
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Re: Craters Kepler and Encke
[Re: niteskystargazer]
#4388443 - 02/15/11 04:07 PM
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Beautifully drawn as always. When am I going to see a bad one? ;-)
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Tommy5
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 03/28/04
Loc: Chicagoland
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Re: Craters Kepler and Encke
[Re: cpl43uk]
#4389016 - 02/15/11 08:54 PM
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great sketch, nice to see you enjoying our early spring and getting some lunar sketching in.
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Special Ed
Postmaster
Reged: 05/18/03
Loc: Greenbrier Co., WV 38N, 80W
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Re: Craters Kepler and Encke
[Re: Tommy5]
#4389160 - 02/15/11 10:03 PM
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Excellent work, Frank.  I enjoyed reading your notes, too. The roughness of the mare and the rays to the east of Kepler that you mention are very well rendered. Is that a ghost crater to the southwest of Encke?
A+ on this one. 
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frank5817
Postmaster
Reged: 06/13/06
Loc: Illinois
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Re: Craters Kepler and Encke
[Re: Special Ed]
#4389290 - 02/15/11 10:58 PM
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Uwe,Jay,Mizar,Pierre,Tom,Chris,T5,and Michael,
Thank you all for the comments and nice words.
-----
Chris, I'll bet you have had some bad seeing this winter too. When I pointed the scope at Polaris after it reached a good cool down temperature (3 hours), Polaris looked like a dancing planetary nebula with no companion. Sketching conditions were very difficult. I almost quit on this one.
----
Michael, If you mean the region 2.5 times the diameter of Encke to the Southwest it does resemble the remains of a large crater buried under lava. On the LAC map 57 that region is crossed by several dorsae in different directions but the clear hint of a ghost crater with a round or oval rim eludes me.
Frank
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Special Ed
Postmaster
Reged: 05/18/03
Loc: Greenbrier Co., WV 38N, 80W
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Re: Craters Kepler and Encke
[Re: frank5817]
#4390228 - 02/16/11 12:14 PM
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Quote:
----
Michael, If you mean the region 2.5 times the diameter of Encke to the Southwest it does resemble the remains of a large crater buried under lava. On the LAC map 57 that region is crossed by several dorsae in different directions but the clear hint of a ghost crater with a round or oval rim eludes me.
Frank
Yes, I'm talking about the large oval shape to the SW of Encke. Might just be a trick of the light on those hills. Maybe "flooded basin" would be a better phrase than "ghost crater".
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Rutilus
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 12/17/10
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Re: Craters Kepler and Encke
[Re: Special Ed]
#4390805 - 02/16/11 03:57 PM
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Excellent work Frank.
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frank5817
Postmaster
Reged: 06/13/06
Loc: Illinois
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Re: Craters Kepler and Encke
[Re: Rutilus]
#4394122 - 02/18/11 02:52 AM
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Rutilus,
Thank you, I am glad you like it.
Frank
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CarlosEH
Postmaster
Reged: 01/19/05
Loc: Pembroke Pines, Broward County...
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Re: Craters Kepler and Encke
[Re: frank5817]
#4394151 - 02/18/11 03:57 AM
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Frank,
An excellent observation and report of the craters Kepler and Encke. You have captured the deep shadow of Kepler and the rubbled floor of Encke very nicely. I hope that you get another view of this region in better seeing conditions soon. Thank you for sharing it with us all.
Carlos
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Heidescoper
super member
Reged: 11/21/10
Loc: Niedersachsen, Germany
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Re: Craters Kepler and Encke
[Re: frank5817]
#4394280 - 02/18/11 06:52 AM
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wow, excellent !!!
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frank5817
Postmaster
Reged: 06/13/06
Loc: Illinois
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Re: Craters Kepler and Encke
[Re: Heidescoper]
#4394767 - 02/18/11 11:38 AM
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Carlos and Christian,
Thank you both for your nice words. I look forward to seeing the next sketches both of you post up here.
Frank
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Roel
sage
Reged: 04/22/07
Loc: Deventer, The Netherlands
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Re: Craters Kepler and Encke
[Re: frank5817]
#4399500 - 02/20/11 02:46 PM
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Congatulations! A well deserved ASOD!
http://www.asod.info/?p=5041
I would like to know: how do you get the grey-white background so even? Do you use your finger, or maybe some piece of cloth?
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frank5817
Postmaster
Reged: 06/13/06
Loc: Illinois
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Re: Craters Kepler and Encke
[Re: Roel]
#4400670 - 02/21/11 12:04 AM
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Roel,
Thank you.
Because the conditions for sketching were challenging with strong winds, I loaded a large blending stump with white Conte' pencil dust and spread it across the paper several times, I then rubbed into the paper what was left using my finger tips after several wind gusts took away most of the excess. After the initial background was finished, I felt the wind became somewhat helpful except for the cold chill.
Frank
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markseibold
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 01/19/08
Loc: Portland Oregon
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Re: Craters Kepler and Encke
[Re: frank5817]
#4410960 - 02/25/11 03:21 PM
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Frank
Spectacular renderings of Kepler and Encke. I gleaned from your sketch the other day which inspired me to get back into the sketching again from a long sabbatical. I am well overdue and seeing this sketch by you has helped me agreat deal. Your text info also always inspires me to look closer at what we do.
Thank you for posting,
Mark
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niteskystargazer
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 10/05/09
Loc: 41-43'-28" N 87-42'-39" W
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Re: Craters Kepler and Encke
[Re: frank5817]
#4411351 - 02/25/11 06:26 PM
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Frank,
Congatulations! On being on ASOD! 
CS,KLU,
,
Tom
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