Two nights in a row of clear skies, so I had to take advantage. I did some more sketches, but this time after sketching I took them into Gimp to edit them, and get rid of the paper texture I got when scanning. The temperature was warm for this time of year around 29°F, so I was sketching without gloves on to get in the way.
First target of the night was the Orion Nebula, M42, and the neighboring nebula, M43. These two nebula can be found in the sword of Orion just below Orion's belt. The middle star in the sword is not just a star, but it is what you see in this sketch. A stellar nursery where new stars are being formed. On a clear night in a dark sky area you can see a slight haze around this central star of Orion's sword, that is the nebula you are seeing with your unaided eye. This nebula is quite close astronomically speaking at a distance of 1,344 +/- 20 light-years away, and is roughly 24 light-years across.
M42 and M43 Two Nebula in Orion. Click to enlarge.
The next target of the night was an open cluster in the constellation of Cancer. This open cluster is M44 with the common names of the Beehive Cluster, or Praesepe (Latin for Manger). This cluster is one of the closest star clusters to our solar system at a distance of 520-610 light-years away. The stars of Cancer are quite dim and hard to spot in my light polluted skies, but I was just able to make out a slight haze where this cluster is located, which makes it another object you can see with the naked eye. Although it may be harder to find in light polluted skies, but if you're skies are dark enough you'll find it no problem.
M44 Open Cluster in Cancer. Click to
Comments
Keep up the great work on posting, so glad to have found your blog.
Eric
The XLT mount is a great mount, very sturdy and aesthetically pleasing. I haven't done much sketching since last year, but I figured it's about time I pick it back up.