Lunar Sketch 3 of 12: 10.5% Waxing Cresent

Hi All,

What a month we've had...'unprecedented' seems to be one of the more common ways to describe it. And we'd probably agree that what we are experiencing is like nothing we've seen before.

While we as individuals deal with the impact that the virus is having on our everyday lives, this forum has provided much solace from the madness.

It is a space where I always feel a sense of community and goodwill among its members. We may not be able to meet-up under dark skies to observe together, but this has not stopped us developing our camaraderie during this challenging time. 

By continuing to observe the night sky, and taking time to share your 'tales from the eyepiece' on this forum, I can honestly say it has lifted my spirit on more than one occasion. For this I am most grateful, so 'thank you.'

And in the spirit of reciprocity, I am delighted to share with you the third instalment of my lunar sketches. I was not sure whether I would have been in position to sketch the Moon this month because the first two weeks were a wright-off due a very bad cold.

Thankfully, an opportunity presented itself last Friday. So, I set-up my scope after dinner, and began to sketch the Moon at 19:55 UT. As I found it difficult to select one feature - they all looked great - I decided to try and sketch the entire thing - well the eight or so percent that was illuminated : )

Rather than use charcoal on black paper, which is what I have used for my previous two lunar sketches, I went with pencil and white paper because it would give me some additional control when sketching more of the intricate details on the Moon's surface. Unfortunately, I could not do justice to what I saw through the eyepiece, but the session was most enjoyable. 

Each feature looked magnificent. For example, I observed the aptly named 'Mare Crisium', and was taken aback by the two craters on its floor: Peirce, and Pickard. They added a beautiful contrast to the grey(ish) basin. Likewise, the 'steep and tormented' slopes of 'Langrenus' was a visual delight, sure I could even make out it's central peak!

Other fascinating craters I observed included: Petavius; Cleomedes; Tralles; Burckhardt; Geminus; and Endymion. However, one area of the Lunar surface stood 'head and shoulders' above them all: The Vallis Rheita region. I was blown away by it. So much so that I spent most of my time looking at it as opposed to sketching it. The beauty of the Valley was complemented by the craters that ran from it in a southerly direction. These included Young D; Mallet; Mallet D; Mallet K; and Reimarus. When they start bringing tourists to Moon this is the destination I'm heading to.

Other details from last Friday's sketching session include:

Location: Dundrum - Bortle 8
Time: 19:55 - 20:51 UT
Seeing: 6pk
Transparency: 5
Instrument used: f/8 150mm Newtonian Reflector
Eyepieces: 32mm Plossl; 24mm Plossl; 9mm, and 6mm Expanse (66° AFOV)
Materials used: 2B, 2H graphite pencils, and a blending stump. The image was sketched at the eyepiece and inverted using GIMP 2.0. I also used a black digital pencil to darken the terminator and the part of the Moon in darkness.

As always many thanks for taking the time to read the above, and your comments and feedback are always welcomed.

Stay safe, and clear skies to all,

Darren.




  

A fine decent sketch of a 2 day old crescent Moon, Darren.
That must have been the night when the skies only cleared at a later stage.
Unfortunately I didn't bother setting up my apo. I had been out for a long session on the previous night.

I'm sure you will sketch Mare Crisium at some stage in the future.
Endymion looks good and round.

I'm not sure I see Cleomedes. Is it Messala I see instead?
Just wondering.

Many of us greatly admire Peirce and Picard when the Sun's light is shallow.

It turns out Vallis Rheita is the longest valley from our side of the Moon. It has a length of 500 km. What an excellent view it often gives.

Keep up the good work, Darren.

Now when are we to have clear skies again?

Aubrey.

Hi Aubrey,

Very many thanks for your kind words. Yep, initially Friday evening looked bleak, but thankfully the clouds lifted at the right time for me.

Also, many thanks for providing those additional details on Vallis Rheita. The length of the Valley is incredible when we think about it.

In terms of Cleomedes, I have submitted a second sketch. This time I have annotated some of the features. I hope this helps.

Having just checked Met Eireann, there might be a break in clouds tomorrow evening - fingers crossed!

Kindest regards,

Darren.

Hi Darren.
Now we're talking!
I was forgetting to put south up and north down.
Of course you have a reflector.
Thank you for labelling these amazing features.
Let's hope for some breaks in the clouds for the next few nights.
We all desperately want to see Venus going through the Pleiades.
Especially for Friday night!!

Aubrey.

Hi Aubrey, 

Your more than welcome. And whatever about reversing North, South being confusing, East, West always gets me!

Seeing Venus as an eight sister would be a sight to behold alright. 

Here's hoping the weather co-operates. 

All the best, 

Darren. 

Very nice Darren, I liked your description of how you achieved it. It's always nice to know the techniques people use. Clouded out here (after 8:30pm) so not much chance of me getting a shot of the Venus-Pleiades conjunction