· Get a Cloudy Nights T-Shirt · Submit a Review / Article Click here if you are having trouble logging into the forums Privacy Policy | Please read our Terms of Service | Signup and Troubleshooting FAQ | Problems? PM a Red or a Green Gu… uh, User You are not logged in. [Login] Entrance · Main Index · Search · New user · Who's Online FAQ · Calendar Astrophotography and Sketching >> Sketching Previous   Index   Next   Threaded   Pages: 1 rolandlinda3 Post Laureate Reged: 01/24/06 Loc: Crozet VA 22932 Paper and Pencil On Wet Clammy Nights       #3234470 - 07/23/09 02:59 PM Attachment (50 downloads) Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   We have summer cycles of weather where the evenings are moist and clammy, the skies are mottled with low clouds, the temperatures hover around 70 degrees F, and the winds are dead calm. They are not a favorite for sky observers, but when the cycle persists, one looks for the holes and gaps in the haze and clouds. For me those nights are good pencil practice and occasionally the skies will open up in a specific direction. July 20 evening sky was clearer to the north, so I went hunting for NGC 4236 with an 8 inch. Optically or with astro-video, the object was beyond my reach. However, I did find 4036 and 4041 using a Panoptic but switched to B&W astro-video (28 second integration with 40% AGC) to see any detail and to make the sketch with a #2 pencil and piece of off-white copy paper. I hunted for 4236 for another 35 minutes and could not detect it. Skies were poor enough that I may have been "over it" and did not see it. Post Extras:       rolandlinda3 Post Laureate Reged: 01/24/06 Loc: Crozet VA 22932 Re: Paper and Pencil On Wet Clammy Nights [Re: rolandlinda3]       #3234488 - 07/23/09 03:08 PM Attachment (45 downloads) Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Two nights later over half the sky (mostly to the north) was cloudy, but Sagittarius was relatively clear. With a quick setup using the TriCo Sky Window and 16x70 binoculars, I went for the M8/20 area. The star pattern around M20 and M21 stood out also. In the end, I decided to grab M8, shift fields of view a little bit, and grab Webb's Cross (the name quoted by James O'Meara in his book "the Messier Objects). However, as I examined the sketch in the light and looked at the book description, it seems to me that my sense of the cross is opposite in terms of the north and south ends. In any case, it made for a very nice region to study and sketch, although the frequent passage of light clouds had almost the same appearance as the nebulosity around the objects. The area is wonderful for binocular studies. The scan is inverted but otherwise nothing is adjusted. In this case, it was two good nights to give thanks. Post Extras:       frank5817 Postmaster Reged: 06/13/06 Loc: Illinois Re: Paper and Pencil On Wet Clammy Nights [Re: rolandlinda3]       #3234943 - 07/23/09 07:38 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Roland, You amaze me the way you always make the best of a less than ideal sketching situation. The galaxy pair in U. Major are done very impressively. I like the inverted sketch view to the south even more. You took in a large area of sky and handled it beautifully. One could spent a great deal of time sketching this area of the night sky and according to what I see here the night does not need to be perfect. Very nice Roland. Frank Post Extras:       rolandlinda3 Post Laureate Reged: 01/24/06 Loc: Crozet VA 22932 Re: Paper and Pencil On Wet Clammy Nights [Re: frank5817]       #3235740 - 07/24/09 09:18 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Thanks, Frank. I have learned to make the best of what I have...sometimes it turns out, once in a while it does not, but I am thankful in either case. How can I not be when I have tools that 40 years ago were not even conceived and optics that we now take for granted that were not so easily obtained just a few decades ago? It is great to be doing this. God is most gracious. Post Extras:       rodelaet Post Laureate Reged: 04/28/06 Loc: 50°56' N - 4°58' E (Belgium) Re: Paper and Pencil On Wet Clammy Nights [Re: rolandlinda3]       #3247141 - 07/30/09 04:36 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Roland, I'm delighted to see your Fujinon's at work again! I was observing the same region as well. Here is were binoculars show their true power. Post Extras:       rolandlinda3 Post Laureate Reged: 01/24/06 Loc: Crozet VA 22932 Re: Paper and Pencil On Wet Clammy Nights [Re: rodelaet]       #3247816 - 07/30/09 10:48 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   You are right, Rony. If I had had the time, I would have put in the 8x56s and did the sketch again because the image with that magnification and wider field is just as unique. Post Extras:       CarlosEH Postmaster Reged: 01/19/05 Loc: Pembroke Pines, Broward County... Re: Paper and Pencil On Wet Clammy Nights [Re: rolandlinda3]       #3248049 - 07/31/09 01:20 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Roland, Beautiful observations of M8 and M20 through your binoculars (16 x 70)/TriCo Window system. Peeks through the veil of the heavens allow us to see God's wonders. Thank you for sharing them with us all. Carlos Post Extras:       rolandlinda3 Post Laureate Reged: 01/24/06 Loc: Crozet VA 22932 Re: Paper and Pencil On Wet Clammy Nights [Re: CarlosEH]       #3254698 - 08/04/09 11:04 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Thanks Carlos. It was a good time. Post Extras:       Pages: 1 Previous   Index   Next   Threaded   Extra information 1 registered and 5 anonymous users are browsing this forum. 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