drawing by Harry Roberts
Have you ever tried to make a drawing of the Moon? It's an excellent exercise. For me, it was humbling to discover how little skill I possessed, but over time even I improved. The real value of drawing is that unless you want to leave a blank spot you have to look carefully at every piece of real estate you are observing. Drawing is a wonderful way to learn to closely observe and interpret what you see. I encourage every one to try a lunar sketch. That will also make you much more appreciative of Harry’s work, such as this wash drawing of the south part of Bailly. He writes: After an hour on the eye piece drawing I decided to leave the north half for another night. I’m still waiting for a repeat of the fair libration and very nice lighting of that night. It was a memorable view with good seeing, giving the strong impression of orbiting low over the formation which overflowed the field of view. The row of headlands on the left (S) side reminded me of the coastline here in Sydney (Australia). Another aspect of making a drawing is that you can emphasize - purposely or accidently - features even when the reality is somewhat vague. For example, compare Harry’s drawing with the slightly higher illumination view of a few days ago. In the drawing there is a simplification that makes the inner ring and the general crater structure more apparent that they appear on the image - the drawing helps us understand. And fortunately, with 365 images needed each year, LPOD has plenty of room for excellent depictions of the Moon in any medium!
Technical Details:
See the Feb 1 LPOD for a description of Harry’s artistic techniques.
Related Links:
Rükl chart 71
Yesterday's LPOD: An Image of Surpises
Tomorrow's LPOD: Partial Phase of Pinkness
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