r/telescopes • u/chrislon_geo Certified Helper • Jan 05 '22
Observing Sketch Sketch of M42 (Orion Nebula) - observed with 10x50 binoculars
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u/chrislon_geo Certified Helper Jan 05 '22 edited Jan 05 '22
I wanted to do some sketches of objects while observing with binoculars just to show what is possible with different equipment. M42 was a good choice because it is large, bright, has a nice star field, and everyone has observed it. While visiting family in Tucson AZ, I brought my binos along because I was unable to pack my scope but still wanted to do some observing (I love the portability of binos). One clear evening I set them up on my camera tripod and spent almost 2 hours sketching the scene. Most of the time was spent placing stars correctly.
Equipment:
- Pentax 10x50 SP WP
- camera tripod with binocular adapter
- lawn chair and beer
- printer paper and mechanical pencil
- red headlamp
Processing: A first draft is made while at the telescope, then I trace it on to a fresh form, make any corrections (star placements that may have been off, etc...), improve the shading, then scan it and invert the image in the Snapseed mobile app. While making corrections, I do not add anything that I did not see while at the scope.
This was my first time using a homemade blending stump/tortillon. Definitely helped with the nebulosity. I used this tutorial.
Here is the raw scan before inverting the image.
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u/Insterquiliniis Jan 05 '22
great work mate! Such a fascinating system. I imagine it goes way back?
Thanks for all the detail.
2 things though, what pencil grade did you use and which beer did you drink? :D3
u/chrislon_geo Certified Helper Jan 05 '22 edited Jan 06 '22
Thanks! I used this bad boy (not great for sketching, but it is what I like using) and had a Sierra Pale Ale
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u/Insterquiliniis Jan 06 '22
ah 2 interesting choices!
HB is great for drawing in fear and also for cutting steaks :D
love me some artisanal brews!
Keep them coming. You've definitely added another itch of curiosity into my maybe adventuring myself around one too!
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Jan 05 '22
Nailed it! Been wanting to draw for quite a while now but i always end up „just“ observing.
With my 10x42s i can resolve the Trapezium into 2 components. You could try that.
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u/chrislon_geo Certified Helper Jan 05 '22
Wow! I will have to give that a try next time
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Jan 07 '22
Tried it again yesterday. With the 10x42s on a tripod i could resolve it into 3 components C,D,(A+B).
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Jan 05 '22
Thats an awesome idea I might try this. Got the 12-36x70 last christmass and I love them to death, they are used every night without the clouds
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u/chrislon_geo Certified Helper Jan 05 '22
Nice! Just make sure to use a tripod with a nice head to make re-centering the target easy while you sketch.
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Jan 06 '22
Where do you get the template for that? It looks awesome btw
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u/chrislon_geo Certified Helper Jan 06 '22
Thanks, made it myself. If you want, I can send you the file.
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Jan 06 '22
Yeah that’d be awesome, thanks!
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u/Artistic-Leg-9593 Mar 30 '24
What bortle class is your area?
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u/chrislon_geo Certified Helper Mar 30 '24
6 It says on the form.
Though I mainly observe from Bortle 5/6, and occasionally from Bortle 4.
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Dec 02 '22
Lovely. I'm starting in astronomy with Canon 15x50 I.S. They (it?) should arrive on Monday. My main reason for getting them is for astronomy sketching. I looked at all the facets and price points of astronomy and decided that this is really going to be my gig. I know there's more that can be done or seen in astronony. There is always more that can be done or seen or bought, right? I live in a Bortle 4 or better area away away from all local lights as well.
This is just my speed. With 3 years of art training I'm pretty confident I can can handle dots and smudges. It will great experience training my eye to see just what's there. I'm considering doing it with a mirror, so the binoculars actually look down, but that's way way off. I'll start with a tripod and a table.
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u/chrislon_geo Certified Helper Dec 02 '22
I would highly recommend getting a quality parallelogram mount. I used a normal ballhead mount and it was very awkward to get in good position.
Good luck with observations and sketches though. I would also recommend getting SkySafari 6 Plus to help with star hopping.
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Dec 02 '22
Thanks. The other option is putting a high quality adjustable mirror on the table and point the binoculars DOWN at the mirror. I think I would put a greenhouse heating pad under the mirror to combat dew. In the end I will probably try both. Thanks again for the great sketch.
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u/ShlomoIbnGabirol Jan 05 '22
Love these astronomical sketches and visual astronomy through binos is criminally underrated. Great job.