Moon sketch ideas1/22/2024 With binoculars, the detail you encounter will increase dramatically. Credit: Deirdre Kelleghan Observing the Moon through an eyepiece A lunar location sketch drawn from looking through a small telescope, Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland. To simulate the effect when drawing earthshine the trick is to remove some pencil markings with an eraser. It causes a faint illumination of the unlit lunar surface to the eye its features show up faintly. If the Moon is a few days before or after a new phase you may see the phenomenon of earthshine – where light is reflected from the Earth back onto the Moon’s unlit section. The terminator then takes up a position around the circumference (limb).Īt this point the far side is in total darkness and the near side is in full sunlight. When it’s waxing away from new Moon the terminator offers a north to south curved line, becoming less curved as it hits a dead straight position at first quarter Moon.Īfter that the curve becomes more pronounced as the terminator moves towards full Moon. Naked eye drawing can tell you a lot about the Moon. Credit: Deirdre Kelleghan Drawing the Moon with the naked eye A binocular dust cap will serve as a template.Always draw the Moon as a full circle, even if the lunar phase means only part of it is showing. When you start your drawing, use a 50mm circle to help you. Your drawings don’t have to be perfect, the point is to learn while having fun making them. Use a Moon atlas to help label the craters and maria you’ll soon learn their names and your way around the lunar surface. Notate each sketch with the date, time in UT, the kit used and Moon phase. Observe the Moon before you begin, paying attention to dark area shapes (the lunar Maria) and the bright areas (the highlands).įor more on lunar observing, reading Patrick Moore's guide to observing the Moonor find out why the Moon sometimes appears during the day.Īnd if sketching the Moon isn't your thing, read our guide on how to photograph the Moon.Ĭlosely observe the shape made by the terminator (the line that separates the lunar night and day).You’ll find that getting the shape of that line correct is a crucial part of lunar sketching. All you need is a clear night, a clipboard, paper and pencils – I would suggest a soft 2B pencil and a hard 2H pencil. Are you new to observing the Moon? If so, sketching our natural satellite will help you find your way around.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply.AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |