M31, M48 and 3C 273

[davhei]

Hi everyone. First content post on the forum from a new stargazer after using it as a great resource for some time.

 

Having observed in binos for a year or two I stepped up to a 10” dob after the summer of 2018 and have tried to take advantage of the rare clear nights since. I do my observing from outside of Stockholm, Sweden and nights tend to be cold and cloudy mostly. Nevertheless, I have gotten a number of good sessions.

 

I was intrigued when I saw people sketching, it seems a nice way to spend time with an object and observe it properly over a longer period. Have occasionally tried my hand at it over the past few months and it is satisfying but not easy. Difficult to get the relative positions right and selecting stars by magnitude. Lots of room for improvement, hope you bear with me.

 

In the first I’m exploring the smudging technique, in the second I’m giving a more complex cluster a go and lastly a try at a faint averted vision object (seeing it and contemplating what it was blew my mind!). Took a photo of my sketch book, inverted the colours and adjusted contrast with a phone app.

[Astro Imp]

Welcome to SGL my friend.
You have made a great start to your sketching career, well done.
Good luck.

[sloz1664]

Nice renditions. how do you keep your hands from shaking, in what must have been very cold temperatures.

Steve

[davhei]

50 minutes ago, sloz1664 said:

Nice renditions. how do you keep your hands from shaking, in what must have been very cold temperatures.

Steve

Thanks Steve! Funny you should ask, I actually used chemical heat packs that use oxidizing iron powder. Had them in my gloves or pockets to regularly warm my hands and keep them from freezing. One cold night when I didn’t have the heat packs I had to keep myself from screaming when my fingers started thawing on the way back from my dark site. Not doing that again!

[davhei]

2 hours ago, Astro Imp said:

Welcome to SGL my friend.
You have made a great start to your sketching career, well done.
Good luck.

Thank you for the warm welcome!

[mariosi]

Welcome to SGL forum. Wonderful observation and Sketches M31 M48 3C273!

Thank you 

[Lurcher]

On 14/02/2019 at 07:32, davhei said:

I was intrigued when I saw people sketching, it seems a nice way to spend time with an object and observe it properly over a longer period. Have occasionally tried my hand at it over the past few months and it is satisfying but not easy. Difficult to get the relative positions right and selecting stars by magnitude. Lots of room for improvement, hope you bear with me.

I couldn't agree more! Well done. And you've managed to indicate the compass points which I'm still not confident at doing yet myself. I was hoping SkySafari was going to be the answer for me on that one but no!

[davhei]

13 hours ago, Lurcher said:

I couldn't agree more! Well done. And you've managed to indicate the compass points which I'm still not confident at doing yet myself. I was hoping SkySafari was going to be the answer for me on that one but no!

 

Thanks Lurcher! I mark out west while at the eyepiece, noting it as the spot where an object in the center eventually drifts out of the field of view. Easier at higher magnifications as the drift is faster. The other points i add later in 90 degree angles relative to west.

[mark81]

Welcome to the forum .

Three Great sketches there.  

Keep them coming..

[Pete Presland]

very nicely sketched.