Hi all,
It has not only been a long time since my last DSO sketch,
it’s also been a long time between lunar sketches too.
One thing that’s kept me in touch with my scopes has been
making bits and pieces for them. One has
been the new case for my SCT that I posted a few weeks ago. I’ve also changed the secondary holder and
spider of my 17.5”. I’ve now also
modified the large fine focus knob I made for my SCT.
I made a large dial knob for both my old orange tube SCT and
one for my new instrument. However, just
making the same thing all over again left me feeling a bit ho-hum about
it. It lacked a little bling. So, after a friend asked me to make a new
pimped up dial for a controller of a scope of theirs, I went to town on
mine! It looks like a 19th
century time machine exploded all over it!
As some of the gears have a lot of height to them, I first had to make
sure that the position I put them in did not interfere with the operation of
the scope nor with stowing it. This
Steampunk treatment complements the timber of the knob, and has given me ideas
on how to possibly give the Steampunk treatment to the new case for this
scope. I also have a few old glass
electronic valves that I can use for this exercise.
This week also saw the lunar drought break for me with two
sketches! Hooray!
Sunday night proved to be the break of the drought with a
gorgeous clear night. My initial
examination of the Moon threw up two great sketch candidates. One was around the elongated crater Schiller
that I’ve been wanting to pen for some time.
This area is very busy. The other
area was around Aristarchus, with the sun just illuminating its rim edge, and a
more gentle area of smoother Maria. Not
having sketched the Moon for so long, I felt very rusty and in need of getting
my eye in again before tackling something like Schiller. Also, with seeing not being too flash, I felt
that I would struggle more with a more detailed crater ridden area compared
with a more smooth plain area.
Dawn Rising Over Aristarchus proved to be a most enchanting
piece. The flat maria lunar surface is
rolling back around the Terminator, giving a lovely 3D effect, and the shadows
cast by the nearly totally flooded crater Prinz and a series of lone mountains
next to Prinz, made for a wonderful juxtaposition between light and shade,
giving a lot of drama and precious detail to the piece.
Object: Dawn over
Aristarchus and Oceanus Procellarum
Scope: 8” SCT
Gear: 9mm TMB Type II, 223X
Date: 7th
May, 2017
Location: Sydney,
Australia
Media: Soft pastels,
white ink and charcoal on A5 size black paper
Drygalski and Mountains During Full Moon was done a couple
of nights later on the Wednesday that followed.
Smack bang in the middle of the Full Moon phase!
I LOVE the full Moon!
LOVE it!
Most astronomers wouldn’t even think about hauling out a
scope during the full Moon. Me, I see it
as the perfect time to spot one of the most striking features on the Moon
itself, its mountains and lunar scape
seen from profile, instead of just from above!
Most people think that there are no shadows to be seen
during the full Moon. Not so! The only time that there would be no shadows
visible is during a lunar eclipse, which is the only time that the sun’s rays
fall perfectly perpendicular on the Moon to us.
But as the Moon most often orbits the Earth above and below the Earth’s
orbital plane, some degree of shadows been cast will always be seen. And the full Moon phase allows for a most extraordinary
display of shadows cast over hills, rolling plains and behind mountains. A most extraordinary sight.
I have sketched Drygalski before. However, libration of the Moon had it in a
much more favourable position that first time, with the crater floor visible
then, but totally black filled this time.
It and every other crater is VERY squashed and elongated due to
foreshortening. And as the scene is such
a wonderful field, I had to sketch this spot to a much wider size.
Object: Crater
Drygalski and Mountians during the Full Moon phase
Scope: 8” SCT
Gear: 9mm TMB Type
II, 223X
Date: 10th
May, 2017
Location: Sydney
Australia
Media: Soft pastels,
white ink and charcoal on A5 size black paper.
Two widely different scenes, one Moon.
Alex.
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