An introduction to astrosketching including historic background, examples of contemporary work, materials list, tutorials, and practice objects.

1. Astro Sketching Workshop Green Bank Star Quest 6 Presented by Michael Rosolina

2. To improve your observing skills To create a visual record To exercise your creativity Why Sketch?

3. Historical Background These are just a few of the many past astronomers who were keen observers and who sketched their observations: Galileo Huygens Maraldi W.C. Bond & G.P. Bond Antoniadi Dawes Barnard

4. Galileo Galileo was one of the first telescopic observers to draw (and publish) what he saw. Source: Galileo Project/Al Van Helden

5. Galileo Galileo published his observations of Jupiter and its moons in SideriusNuncius, The Starry Messenger (1610). This is an excerpt from his journal. Source: Galileo Project/Al Van Helden

6. Galileo Galileo and his protégé Castelli developed solar projection to accurately observe and record sunspots . Through a sequence of solar observations, Galileo demonstrated the rotation of the Sun. Source: Galileo Project/Al Van Helden

7. Huygens Another pioneer in the mid-17th century was Christiaan Huygens , who made these observations of Mars Source: The Exploration of Mars By Werner von Braun & ChesleyBonestell

8. Maraldi From 1672 to 1719, Maraldi made many observations of Mars and made careful measurements of the polar ice cap. Source: The Exploration of Mars By Werner von Braun & ChesleyBonestell

9. Antoniadi By the 19th and early 20th century, improved telescopes were allowing skilled observers to make even more detailed sketches of celestial objects. Source: The Planet Mars by William Sheehan

10. From Galileo’s early drawings… Courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech

11. Through the legendary observers of the past, to present day amateur astronomers… Phases of Venus Courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech

12. Astro sketching continues to thrive… Courtesy Sol Robbins

13. Sinus Iridum 25July 2007 12” SCT @ 271x Courtesy Rich Handy

14. The Sun in Hydrogen Alpha Courtesy Erika Rix

15. Double Stars Courtesy Eric Graff

16. Star Clusters M44 The Beehive 102mm Refractor Mag: 12.5x & 30x Courtesy Rony De Laet

17. Globular Clusters Courtesy Frank McCabe

18. Galaxies Courtesy Jeff Young

20. Include information such as instrument used, magnification, and field of view (FOV)

21. Include time and date (UT), cardinal directions, seeing, transparency, altitude of object, and any other relevant information

23. Planets

24. Mars Courtesy Sol Robbins

25. Mars 19 Dec. 2007 0430-0500 UT 10” Reflector Mag: 360x S: Antoniadi II Courtesy Frank McCabe

27. Jupiter Courtesy Sol Robbins

28. Courtesy Jeff Young

29. Venus Courtesy Sol Robbins

30. The Sun

32. Courtesy Erika Rix

33. Courtesy Jeff Young

34. Courtesy Ralph Marantino

36. The Moon

37. Gassendi 3 Sept. 2006 12” SCT @ 244x Courtesy Rich Handy

38. Waning Gibbous Moon 28 DEC. 2008 200mm Reflector @ 48x Courtesy Deirdre Kelleghan

39. Petavius 29 May 2009 10” Reflector @ 241x & 362x Courtesy Frank McCabe

40. Lunar Eclipse 21 Feb.2008 108mm Reflector Mag: 21x Courtesy Frank McCabe

41. Deep Sky Objects

42. Courtesy Eric Graff

43. Courtesy Jeff Young

44. M31 28 Sept. 2008 15x70 Binoculars FOV: 4.4 deg. Courtesy Rony De Laet

45. Courtesy Eric Graff

46. IC4665 Summer Beehive 15 Sept. 2007 102mm Refractor Mag: 16x FOV: 150’ Courtesy Rony De Laet

47. Asteroids and Comets

49. C/17P Holmes 03 Nov. 2007 102mm Refractor Mag: 16x & 20x FOV: 150’ Courtesy Rony De Laet

50. Courtesy Jeff Young

52. Occultations And Transits

53. Occultation of Venus 01 Dec. 2008 LX 90 @ 57x Courtesy Deirdre Kelleghan

54. Sketch by M Rosolina

55. What do I use to make my sketch?

57. sketching paper, copy paper, black paper, color paper, textured paper, waterproof paper

58. templates, blending stumps, erasers, eraser shield, sharpener

60. Graphite pencil on smooth white copy paper Courtesy Sol Robbins

61. Graphite pencil on white sketch paper Last Quarter Moon 18 March 2009 15x70 Binoculars Courtesy Deirdre Kelleghan

62. Graphite pencil on white paper inverted digitally Courtesy Jeff Young

63. Graphite pencil and color pencil on white sketch paper

64. Color Chalk on textured white paper The Sun in Ha 10 DEC. 2005 40mm PST @ 33x Courtesy Erika Rix

65. Color pen on white paper Courtesy Ralph Marantino

66. Remember… record what you see! Courtesy Ralph Marantino

67. White Conte’ crayon, Conte’ pencil, and watercolor pencil on black paper Courtesy Erika Rix

68. White Conte’ crayon on textured color paper

69. Computer processing is a relatively new tool that can be used very effectively to enhance and even create astro sketches. Digitizing your work allows you to present and share it with the global community of amateur astronomers.

70. You can add text… Courtesy Eric Graff

71. You can add color…

72. You can invert… Comet C/17P Holmes 04 Nov. 2007 Courtesy Sol Robbins

73. You can add text to field sketches and make a collage of sequences… Courtesy Erika Rix

74. You can even make an animation… Solar Prominence Courtesy Erika Rix

75. Courtesy Erika Rix

76. … or draw the sketch with the computer… Alpha Persei Assoc. (Mel 20) ETX 70 @ 9x FOV: 4.8 deg. Digital drawing based on a raw pencil field sketch Courtesy Rony De Laet

77. What does making a sketch look like? Here are two step-by-step tutorials. Let’s start with a lunar target.

78. First, anchor the sketch by outlining distinguishing features… Courtesy Erika Rix

79. Then add shadows… Courtesy Erika Rix

80. Blend to smooth… Courtesy Erika Rix

81. Add more shadows. Try to make light and dark areas instead of drawing objects… Courtesy Erika Rix

82. Add and blend more shadows. Use your finger and a stump to blend… Courtesy Erika Rix

83. Apply background in layers—use a loaded finger or a loaded stump… Courtesy Erika Rix

84. Add material in layers… Courtesy Erika Rix

85. Keep adding those layers… Courtesy Erika Rix

86. Soften by blending… Courtesy Erika Rix

87. Add finishing touches and you’re done… Copernicus Courtesy Erika Rix

88. Now let’s take a look at sketching the Sun in white light. REMEMBER: Never look directly at the Sun unless you have an approved solar filter covering the objective or a dedicated solar telescope. Keep the cap on your finderscope. Never leave an instrument pointed at the Sun unattended.

89. Here’s what you need to start…

90. The scope I use for projection is a 4.25” (108mm) Reflector with a 15mm RKE eyepiece yielding 30x.

91. Before you can project the Sun, you must find it. I use the shortest shadow method. Projection was developed by Galileo’s protégé, BenedettoCastelli.

92. Move the clipboard until the solar image fills the template. Hold the template square to the eyepiece or you’ll get an oval.

93. After finding the right distance and angle, fine tune the focus to make the limb sharp. You’ll need to support the clipboard, too.

94. Now you are ready to trace the location and shape of any sunspot groups. Watch how the Sun drifts through the field to determine west.

95. Here is what the template looks like after I trace the sunspots.

96. To get better detail, I combine projection with eyepiece observation at higher magnification using a homemade BaaderAstro Solar Filter.

97. With the filter in place, you are ready to add detail. I use different pencils for different tones, as well as the stump.

98. Add the limb darkening usually evident in white light. Use a loaded stump to apply graphite and blend with your finger.

99. To finish up, I add the time/date in UT, cardinal directions, details on scope and conditions, and any relevant notes. Sketch by M Rosolina

100. We’ve looked at some of the long, rich history of astro sketching. We’ve seen some prime examples of sketching at its best. We’ve discussed sketching tools and techniques. And we’ve learned that sketching not only leaves you with a visual record of your observation… But most importantly, it trains your eye and improves your observing skills. Now it’s time for a little hands-on practice.

101. Remember, everyone starts somewhere… Observing log M Rosolina

102. Keep Looking Up! Orion Sketch Courtesy Frank McCabe

103. Choose one of the following objects to practice your sketching technique…

104. M6 Courtesy Rony De Laet

105. Courtesy Jeff Young

106. M17 Courtesy Rony De Laet

107. Courtesy Sol Robbins

108. Courtesy Eric Graff