Tonight's Moon...

Nice going Deirdre! I like seeing pencil drawings of astronomical exploits! That one looks great!

Hi, here is my pencil drawing of the Moon on the same evening December 6. I have tried to identify some craters and features; I am using Collins How to ID NIGHT SKY. The thing is there are lots of craters and each phase shows up some better that others, what is the best way to be sure that you are recognizing and naming them correctly?

www.irishastronomy.org/user_resources/fi...oon-Dec-6th-Bray.jpg

Deirdre Kelleghan
IAS
www.irishastrosoc.org

Very good sketch. This is something I've been meaning to try more often but never get around to/think of. I'd certainly like to see more sketches posted here.

Thanks all for the previous comments.
My setup was 8" LX90 and Canon 300d. Exposures were 1/4sec and I used ISO200. Scope was at f/10. Three images combined to create overall image. For the above image, I used Photoshop CS2 to align the images and then applied an unsharp mask to bring out more detail in the craters. Image was then cropped and sized down for the website here.
I've tried to ease off on the processing a bit. Hopefully the image looks more natural as a result - nothing worse than an overprocessed image. I'd appreciate any comments on the processing side of things - tips/tricks/commets anyone?

Jack,
I've sent you a message.

Clear skies,

- Post edited and image rotated correctly

I am REALLY impressed by that sketch. Its great to see that this type of observing is still being done. Excellent stuff, it makes my few lunar sketches look rubbish!

Thanks for the technical info Michael on the digital moon capture

The thing is there are lots of craters and each phase shows up some better that others, what is the best way to be sure that you are recognizing and naming them correctly?

Deirdre,

A really great piece of software and which happens to be free is VMA or "Virtual Moon Atlas". It is my preferred tool when planning to image the moon as well as determining other supplementary information and details.

Further details regarding this software is available here: www.astrosurf.com/avl ....

Anthony.

Michael, thats a really fine image. The focus looks great as does the exposure. You did a great job on the mosaic too there isnt a hint of the joins. Well done.

Deirdre: Congrats on the sketch. Isnt sketching becoming a lost art. Glad you see itrs not lost on you.

Well done all.