Quote:

---

...It is interesting to watch the details change in just over an hours time. The shadow started out just on the edge and ended up around where I sketched it maybe a little more. I could also tell the changes in the clouds/festoons. When I finished one part of the sketch then came back to check it later it had already changed some.

I know some observers probably just have a quick look then move on to something else, but if you spend a little more time on Jupiter it changes and there aren't many objects that you can do this on. The moon terminator maybe...

---

Nice work, Chris--you got a good look at the King and your drawing reflects that. And it's always fun to watch a shadow trnsit.

Part of the challenge of sketching Jupiter is its rapid rotation. Jupiter would have rotated a good 36 degrees over the hour of your sketch time. I tend to work very slowly, so I had to train myself to sketch Jupiter in 15-20 minutes (after spending 30-60 minutes studying it) in order to "freeze" the sketched view.

Another (and fairly leisurely) way to cope with Jupiter's rotation is to do a strip sketch. Instead of using a disk template, you take a full sheet of paper and, starting on the left, draw the Jovian features as they cross the central meridian. Jupiter's rotation is working with you rather than against you with this technique.

If you want to try this, there are examples of strip sketching around. Rich, the moderator of the Solar System Observing forum, has done some nice ones. So has Paul Abel, who posts here in the Sketching forum. This is an example of a strip sketch that I did a few years ago.

Good luck with your Jupiter observations.

Edited by Special Ed (09/28/12 09:51 PM)

Post Extras: