Lurcher

KA-POW!! Thanks Mark! Good to hear form you again, and thanks for your comments. 👍

Thanks Mike. There's nothing wrong with your techniques at all. Far more refined than my scribbles. Due to the weather or one-thing-and-another, I haven't had chance to get stuck into double stars in anyway as much as I hoped, but I'm determined to rectify that soon if we can have a few more clear nights! Thanks for your comment Mike.

Finally, we're getting some decent clear evenings! I got out in my back garden on Tuesday wanting to do a sketch of a crater somewhere again. I noticed Aristiteles and Eudoxus straight away. There's so much detail to see on the rims, but sadly the clouds started to build as I was just beginning to get stuck in so I need to try this again another night. The clouds did clear but by this time the moon had disappeared below the roof of a house. However that then gave me time to also check out some easy doubles. (I really liked seeing a nice double double in Taurus - SAO 75970. And after a few other doubles I decided to just slew the telescope down through Orion to check out the nebula one more time and came across a lovely grouping of stars just below Alnitak which I now know are called Sigma Orionis and Struve 761. Really pleased to see them . My sketch (bottom sketch on 3rd attachment), doesn't do them justice, the main star is a beautiful golden colour. Cheers all. More clear skies!

Well done and thanks for posting. Far better than school work!

Brilliant ridges Mike. Not easy to get such thin definition. (I've not noticed volcanic domes before. Another something new for me to try and find).

I must admit I do have some blending stubs, but I found I just couldn't blend it as much as I hoped. But I'll keep trying and experimenting. (You have reminded I do need to buy a small compass to draw my circles) . Thanks for your comments again.

You'll love it. Look out for the Trapezium. I've only noticed four stars there, but apparently I should be able to see six, so I need to look carefully again too. Thanks for your comments. Thanks Stu. I really need to try again, I need a softer pastel or something, (it's too scratchy), but it was better than my appalling attempt at the Pleiades! lol

Hi All, Sorry this is a little old now, I did it just over a week ago, and was going to post it at the time, but the sketch looked so much better in the dark than it did in the cold light of day I didn't think it worthy of posting here, so then went to write a post on the observing page, and then talked myself out of that too. So anyway, I'm in front of my computer and enjoying looking at what others have been posting so thought what the hell - maybe someone else will enjoy finding this if they're bored or trying to stay out of the way of whatever it is their other half is watching on tele like me. This was done on the last really good clear night I had. It wasn't forecast to be particularly clear but when I looked I could see it looked pretty good, and knowing Orion would be coming up soon, I carried my scope out into the back garden and set it up; all the time expecting the clouds to come over and ruin everything. I started off by doing a quick sketch of The Pleiades but struggled to get that all in proportion so I obviously need a bit more practise at groups of stars. I thought I would try M1 not expecting too much as I've never been able to see that, but there it was. Only a fuzzy patch - but clearly there. By this time M42 was beginning to come up above the roof tops and though I was still looking through the branches of an apple tree it looked amazing. And the more I studied it the more I seemed to see and the better it got, with it also climbing higher and clearing the tree as well of course. By the time I'd finished drawing, my feet and hands were beginning to complain from the cold so I quickly had a look at Betelgeuse and Bellatrix, and then did another quick drawing of Meissa at the head of Orion, (which I hadn't ever really looked at before). Again that was a really pleasing sight too. Well they're forecasting clear skies for tomorrow so fingers crossed for that. Cheers all.

Aha! I've found the double star section! Nicely done drawing Mike. I shall be checking this section a few more times now I've found it.

It's so good to see a couple of pages form your Sissy Haas book Nick. I bought a copy myself from 365Astronomy about a Month ago. As soon as I got it I went through all the Northern Constellations writing in the SAO numbers and then added a few scribbles when I saw a double star; (not that I've had much chance to use it lately thanks to all the lovely marvellous weather), but I've noticed you can't buy it anywhere now unless you live in America, or want to pay a fortune. So I've felt a bit bad for writing all over mine and not looking after it a bit more. - So it's good to see your well used copy and that you've done the same. Thanks for posting.

That's nice. Another one I haven't seen myself yet. Thanks for posting.

Nice comparison. Good idea to do that.

Another good evening Mike. Brilliantly caught and observed sketch. Making me feel lazy for not having the determination to get out last night too now, I noticed the stars were out whilst I walked Wiggins, but it felt all a little too late at the time to get all set up in the back garden by the time I got back. But as always, if you don't you end up feeling you should have!

Hahhha!! Why change Mike!!?? That's fantastic and much better than what I manage to scribble! In fact - I was out myself last night and after a very frustrating time with my scope I did a sketch of the Cleomedes, Burckardt and Geminus craters - and do you know what?? - I ain't gonna to post it! Your sketch reminds me of something you'd see in a text book. I will have to go back again and try the three craters I mentioned again. There was a lot of detail in and around the craters to get stuck into, and last night they were right on the edge of the terminator so that the darkness crept in between them making the rims of the craters stand proud of the terminator. Looked really good. Thanks for posting Mike. That's a great effect you've got going on there.

Wahoo! Very nice sketch Mark. Good entry.

@Mike JW Ahaa! Thanks for that Mike. I noticed you had a 15" Obsession, which is or was rather fantastic I should think, but didn't pick up that you had a 500mm Dobsonian! - And then you're friends with someone who can go one more than that!! Blimey. I was kind of hoping you might say that by the time you've gotten so big any more aperture doesn't really make too much difference, not that the 600mm can blow the 500mm away! . . . Blimey. Where's that lottery ticket. . . . .

@Mike JW Hi Mike, Wow that's an impressive set of information and records. I like the look of the Capella and STF 669 field of view. I shall have to check that out myself and see if I can see that grouping too. Thanks for uploading your list of doubles in Andromeda. I like the fact that you're not afraid to say in your report when two doubles aren't exactly much to look at, which is just as important as highlighting the really good ones. I look forward to seeing more Mike. Very impressive the way you've done all of the above. I've noticed other people post these sort of reports under "Observation reports" so we'll have to do that too I suppose. I know @cotterless45 often posts excellent double star and star reports with sketches. (I'm going back now to have a better look at your Andromeda list and see if I can save it to my computer - with thanks).

Hi Mark, Thanks so much for your comments. Yes I have to say my star sketches are going to be really rough-and-ready like my lunar sketches. I've been amazed by others on here where they show the defraction and glow of the star. My aim is just to have a visual record, and as you say, a written description of the stars. I've attached some earlier sketches which I did of some easy doubles. I've now bought a book called "Double Stars for Small Telescopes" by "Sissy Haas" published by "Sky & Telescope". It doesn't have any SAO numbers which I rely on but it does have a short description next to each entry which I find useful, and I then cross reference with the Cambridge Double Star Atlas to get the SAO numbers where I can. I've also printed off some A4 Double Star sheets so I can now add more text next time. . . . Just waiting for some clear skies now!! If you get there before I do please let me know!

This is a great thread to read through. I would love either the 450mm or of course, why not, the 500mm version! I remember reading a report on this scope in The Sky At Night Magazine and they said something along the lines of "this would be a great scope if you were a club that wanted to invest in one", which made me think I was being ridiculous for thinking it was the next scope for me one day, so it's great to read that individuals like yourself and "OldFruit" have got one and they're not just for clubs to own. Got to love large dobs. I look forward to hearing more. Oh I was going to ask, can you have a look and see if you can make out the central star in the ring nebula the next time you're out with your scope please? (Just been wondering that on the thread about a 350mm flextube). I've never been able to see it. Cheers!

Hi Paul, a great report. I bought a 2nd hand 8" SkyWatcher Flextube GoTo a few years and liked that so much I sold that for the 12" version I now own. So I was reading your views with interest. I'm pleased to hear in a way that you couldn't make out the central star in the ring nebula as I've never been able to make that out either. I'll have to ask "Ships and Stars" in a moment if he can see it through his 500mm Stargate. I remember wondering whether I'd gone a but mad when I saw my scope standing in my Office in the cold light of day, but as Barkis says, there pleasingly, seems to be quite a few people now getting scopes even larger than 12". I look forward to hearing more. Cheers!

Hi Mike, Thanks for your message. Good to hear from you too. It was nice to catch the 10 day old moon. Not a phase I ever seem to catch. - I've been wanting to have a go at sketching the Bullialdus Crater ever since seeing a fantastic drawing of it by Erika Rix. I noticed that night there was another interesting crater which caught my eye along the terminator but I decided the Copernicus crater looked a better target. It wasn't until I was looking up the details of the area I'd drawn that I saw the other crater which had caught my eye was the Bullialdus Crater I'd been waiting for. It looked tiny and I couldn't see any of the detail Erika shows in her drawing, so she must have used a heck of a lot of magnification. Having now seen it for myself I now know what I'm looking for next time. Thanks for Mike and all the best, Martin.

Hi everyone. Well the weather's been pretty yuk just lately hasn't it?? I managed to get out in my back garden on Tuesday a little later than hoped, I struggled for a while not finding anything I was looking for, but then re-did my two star alignment and finally started to find things. I checked out a few a few double stars in Andromeda, Pegasus and Cassiopeia, and ended the night with a quick sketch of the moon again. It's nothing great, but I thought it would give me the opportunity to say hello again to everyone. (Haven't posted anything for a while). I'm hoping to get some little sketches of some of the double stars on the next clear night, I'm finding double stars really quite enjoyable to find and view at the moment. Cheers for now . . .

I'm not sure this sketch is particularly worthy of entry, but it was such a great idea for a competition I just wanted to be able to contribute in some way. (Hoping to get out tonight and have another go). Anyway here's my first attempt at the Apollo 11 landing site. Hoping I have actually located the correct spot! Thanks.

Well done. Great sketches. I wasn't aware of Harold Hill, (please excuse the ignorance!), so will have to look out for some of his work. I don;t know if I've mentioned on here before, but have you seen Erika Rix also? There's one sketch online somewhere she's done of the Bullialdus Crater which I think is brilliant too.

Great posts guys. I do love sketching stars too, (double stars in particular). But I've been a little disappointed that they don't match up to the brilliance I see for myself at the telescope, so I might have to give that toothpick idea a try too. 👍 (As well as that GIMP programme? I've been using the basic "Paint" programme, so that would be interesting to try an alternative). Thanks all.