ByANDY FLEMING
It seems to be a natural progression... you start with
naked-eye observing, then move on to binoculars, then to visual observations with a
telescope, and finally you progress to sketching. For the past few years I‟ve been
perfectly content just to assemble my telescope in the back garden and enjoy a tour
of objects of interest in the night sky. It was just plain, simple,
relaxing, no-strings-attached observing.
However, having looked at some of the artistry contained in Observing the Deep Sky
(Darren Bushnall, Crowood Press, 2005) I finallyfelt inspired me to act... and what a great feeling
it is to have something to show at the end of an observing session!
Let me state from the outset that I‟m no artist... I tend to
draw along straight lines! However, I hope that you enjoy my sketches (above), and that they inspire you to try
sketching yourself. In addition to having something to show for your observing session, drawing
the objects requires far greater attention to detail in the view through the eyepiece.
Another benefit is that you‟re far more likely to recognise the object in future observation sessions, as
what you see through the eyepiece is, of course, frequently very different from what is shown in
photographic images.
