Some Gems From Taurus

[pbyrne]

Hi there

Taking advantage of the great weather I delved into Taurus for the following.

I hope you like them.

NGC 1647

A delightful cluster showing a fine sprinkle of white stars.

NGC 1746

The anagram lovers NGC 1647. This cluster showed a nice collection of stars of varying magnitudes that made me go back to the eyepiece many, many times.

M1

The Kidney Bean Nebula might also apply here, I couldn't see a crab. The filter was a big asset here as it brought more of the nebula out, though it was not an easy object to sketch, averted vision was a great help.

Thanks for looking and I'd like to wish everyone at SGL, and around the world, a peaceful Christmas and many clear nights in 2010.

Paul

[timefortea]

Great sketches Paul, I really like the impression of depth you've given to NGC1746. How do you produce those perfectly circular points for stars, when I try it looks as if my pencil needs collimating .

I think the name "Crab Nebula" refers to the resemblance to a crabs claw that Lord Rosse originally saw through his 36" telescope.

Keep up the good work.

[pbyrne]

Thanks Ian

I import the sketch into Photoshop and use the brush tool to overlay my pencil marks.

Paul