My First Sketch in the Field

Not too bad, if I don't say so myself.

Your Eyepiece is the Porthole of Your Very Own Lunar Module

I've been reading about lunar sketching and it sounds like an immensly rewarding hobby. I do enjoy electronic imaging but there seems to be this idea that if you don't have the newest and most expensive CCD cameras and $3000 tripods you aren't going anywhere as an astronomer. In sketching all you need is some basic art tools and some patience. It doesn't matter how wide your aperture is or if your sensors (in this case your own eyes) is peltier cooled. What's more, it will train you to notice little details and help you become intimately familiar with these celestial objects- making you a better astronomer faster than running an image through Registax will. At the end of the night, you don't need something spectacular to impress the people at work with like a highly processed astro image. It's enjoying your time spent in the field; just you on another world that's virtually free to visit.

The moon hasn't really coincided with my schedule lately so I attempted to practise using a picture from a book. It's not too bad, if I don't say so myself, but I'm not used to sketching without using outlines. If the sky remains clear this evening I might have a chance to sketch the real moon in the daylight and that would be the next easiest step as I won't need a red light at first. I may have to build something especially designed to illuminate my sketch pad without ruining my night vision or having to hold it with my other hand. It shouldn't be too hard.