The destruction of this planet would have no significance on a cosmic scale: to an observer in the Andromeda nebula, the sign of our extinction would be no more than a match flaring for a second in the heavens: and if that match does blaze in the darkness there will be none to mourn a race that used a power that could have lit a beacon in the stars to light its funeral pyre. The choice is ours.
/ Stanley Kubrick /



In memoriam Halton C. Arp (1927-2013).


My astronomy sketches. Hover mouse over image for the inverted look. For fainter objects, take a look at the black-on-white original, sometimes it reveals more details.


Need advice? Want to discuss an observation? Feel free to contact me at flovro gmail*com.

ÚJ! Amennyiben elérhető, a ikonra kattintva magyarul is olvashatod az észlelést.


Show me the newest sketches!
By type: open clusters [67] globular clusters [14] diffuse nebulae [3] dark nebulae [0] planetary nebulae [27] variable stars [18] binary stars [23] asterisms [2] galaxies [119] quasars [1] planets [2] minor planets [1] comets [5] Sun [0] Moon [5] other objects [8]
By catalogue: Messier 1-50 [20] Messier 51-110 [18] NGC 1-1000 [17] NGC 1001-2000 [21] NGC 2001-3000 [32] NGC 3001-4000 [25] NGC 4001-5000 [18] NGC 5001-6000 [22] NGC 6001-7000 [40] NGC 7001-7840 [35] IC 1-5386 [1] other catalogues [71] uncataloged [10] [25]
By constellation:



WZ Cas (Variable star)
Also known as: WZ Cassiopeiae
Right ascension: 0h 1m Declination: 60° 21'
Constellation: Cassiopeia
Date/time: 2008.01.21 19:00 UT
Equipment: 12" f/5 Newtonian
FoV: 6' Magnification and filter(s): 167x
Seeing: 5/10 Transparency: 3/5
Location: Nádasdladány, Hungary
Observer: Ferenc Lovró
Description:

Probably this is the most beautiful orange-coloured star I've ever seen. Located nearby the bright ß Cas, the star B of this binary has a colour index of 0.03 while star A has 3.12 which means that this is an extremely red star. The WZ Cas is a red giant star that is also a variable. Its colour can be best seen in magnifications under 100x.
Hi-resolution image: [ reversed sketch | original sketch ]

Saturn (Planet)
Right ascension: h m Declination: ° '
Constellation: Andromeda
Date/time: 2008.02.19 21:00 UT
Equipment: 12" f/5 Newtonian
FoV: 17' Magnification and filter(s): 167x
Seeing: 7/10 Transparency: 4/5
Location: Nádasdladány, Hungary
Observer: Ferenc Lovró
Description:

A closer look (Iapetus cannot fit on this sketch). I've marked a possible seventh moon with a questionmark. But I've seen it only for a moment with averted vision.
Hi-resolution image: [ reversed sketch | original sketch ]

Saturn (Planet)
Right ascension: h m Declination: ° '
Constellation: Andromeda
Date/time: 2008.02.19 21:00 UT
Equipment: 12" f/5 Newtonian
FoV: 17' Magnification and filter(s): 167x
Seeing: 7/10 Transparency: 4/5
Location: Nádasdladány, Hungary
Observer: Ferenc Lovró
Description:

Overview of Saturn and 6 (!) of its moons near the 97% Moon. Unbelievable! The moons from left to right are:
  Iapetus (10.9m)
  Rhea (9.5m)
  Enceladus (11.5m)
  Dione (10.2m)
  Tethys (10.0m)
  Titan (8.2m)
Hi-resolution image: [ reversed sketch | original sketch ]

Epsilon Lyrae (Binary star)
Also known as: Double double
Right ascension: 18h 44m Declination: 39° 40'
Constellation: Lyra
Date/time: 2008.06.10 22:00 UT
Equipment: 12" f/5 Newtonian
FoV: 9' Magnification and filter(s): 250x
Seeing: 7/10 Transparency: 4/5
Location: Nádasdladány, Hungary
Observer: Ferenc Lovró
Description:

Probably the most observed multiple star system, located in an easy position in Lyra near the bright star Vega. The double can be split even with better binoculars, however the real magic happens with larger telescopes as under good conditions, they will split the double into a "double double"! At 71x I was unable to split the pairs, however at 167x and 250x I had success. A very spectacular object, worth giving a try!
Hi-resolution image: [ reversed sketch | original sketch ]

NGC 1662 meteor (Various/other)
Right ascension: 4h 49m Declination: 10° 58'
Constellation: Orion
Date/time: 2009.11.24 00:18 UT
Equipment: 12" f/5 Newtonian
FoV: 30' Magnification and filter(s): 100x
Seeing: 7/10 Transparency: 3/5
Location: Nádasdladány, Hungary
Observer: Ferenc Lovró
Description:

I was sketching the marvelous open cluster of NGC 1662 at 100x and just after I finished and took a final look, at 00:18 UT suddenly a fiery meteor rushed through the FoV, leaving a bluish ionized tail behind. This was visible for about 10 seconds before it disappeared forever. The series of sketches I've rendered digitally after quick drafts made at the eyepiece, using my actual NGC 1662 sketch as a background. As you can see, the tail was quickly moving to the North (thanks to the Dobsonian mount I was able to react and follow very quickly). While it constantly lost its brightness, it became wider and wider, and the most interesting phenomenon was the change of its shape: it got 'broken' at several points. Between each of these points, the tail remained straight. The joints were visibly brighter than the straight parts, just like on the sketch. I wonder if this is the regular behaviour of ionized tails of meteors, but this is what I saw. Anyhow, it was most probably the greatest 10 seconds of my observing life.
Hi-resolution image: [ reversed sketch | original sketch ]

Copernicus crater (Our Moon)
Also known as: Copernicus + Fauth + Gay-Lussac
Right ascension: h m Declination: ° '
Constellation:
Date/time: 2009.12.26 17:15 UT
Equipment: 12" f/5 Newtonian
FoV: ' Magnification and filter(s): 250x + 30% neutral filter(s)
Seeing: 4/10 Transparency: 1/5
Location: Nádasdladány, Hungary
Observer: Ferenc Lovró
Description:

This is my first ever Moon-sketch, displaying craters Copernicus, Fauth and Gay-Lussac with some other sub-craters and domes not noted on the sketch. This is my actual sketch done at the eyepiece, no alterations were made after manually or digitally, other than resizing. It took about 45 minutes to finish, and I'm quite satisfied with it, althouth I've found that sketching the Moon is indeed very hard and very different from sketching deep space objects. Perhaps I should not finish Lunar sketches at the eyepiece but create only drafts with different markings for different shades and create the actual sketch in the warmth of the room. As an additional difficulty, the sky was 100% covered with a thin layer of cloud which made the image to be in constant change, only 1 or 2 stars was visible here and then. Moon phase was about 69%.
Hi-resolution image: [ reversed sketch | original sketch ]

Prinz crater + Montes Harbinger (Our Moon)
Also known as: Prinz, Krieger C, Vera, Angström, Montes Harbinger, Rimae Prinz
Right ascension: h m Declination: ° '
Constellation:
Date/time: 2010.03.26 20:00 UT
Equipment: 12" f/5 Newtonian
FoV: ' Magnification and filter(s): 300x + 15% neutral filter(s)
Seeing: 2/10 Transparency: 4/5
Location: Nádasdladány, Hungary
Observer: Ferenc Lovró
Description:

I was just cruising around the terminator of the Moon, testing the new cooling equipment on my OTA, when I found a very interesting mountain chain with some ruined crater at one end, near the crater Aristarchus which was right on the terminator. The view was so spectacular, that I decided to make a sketch. I found out that the large crater was Prinz, and the mountains attached are Montes Harbinger. I've sketched some additional minor craters nearby that have been cropped out from this image. A really unusual view, worth taking a peek when it's near the terminator!
Hi-resolution image: [ reversed sketch | original sketch ]

Nova Del 2013 (Variable star)
Also known as: Nova Delphinii 2013
Right ascension: h m Declination: ° '
Constellation: Delphinus
Date/time: 2013.08.15 22:00 UT
Equipment: 60x20 spotting scope
FoV: ' Magnification and filter(s): 20x
Seeing: 4/10 Transparency: 3/5
SQM: 20.00 m/as2 Temperature: 16°C
Humidity: low Wind: none
Sight: 1 - nothing spectacular
Difficulty: 1 - instantly visible, no dark adaptation or averted vision needed
Position: 3 - moderate, some starhopping needed
Location: Nádasdladány, Hungary
Observer: Ferenc Lovró
Description:

Easily naked eye nova, observed with a handheld spotting scope at 20x.
Hi-resolution image: [ reversed sketch | original sketch ]

Mu UMa (TVICS)
Also known as: Mu Ursae Majoris, Tania Australis
Right ascension: 10h 23m Declination: 41° 26'
Constellation: Ursa Major
Date/time: 2014.05.23 21:00 UT
Equipment: 12" f/5 Newtonian
FoV: 12' Magnification and filter(s): 250x
Seeing: 7/10 Transparency: 3/5
SQM: 21.14 m/as2 Temperature: 14°C
Humidity: low Wind: none
Sight: 4 - lots of details, very interesting, unique look
Difficulty: 1 - instantly visible, no dark adaptation or averted vision needed
Position: 1 - very easy, many bright stars nearby
Location: Nádasdladány, Hungary
Observer: Ferenc Lovró
Description:

Interesting, but Mu UMa was in front of me all these years, yet I've never noticed its fantastic colour. It responds to changing magnifications in a very interesting way, and this seem to support my theory that you can see stellar colours much easier with a non-dark adapted eye: with naked eye it's orange, at 71x it is golden, and at 250x it's white. The sketch displays the hue at 71x.
Hi-resolution image: [ reversed sketch | original sketch ]

Full Moon (Our Moon)
Right ascension: h m Declination: ° '
Constellation:
Date/time: 2015.07.31 22:00 UT
Equipment: 4.5" f/8 Newtonian
FoV: ' Magnification and filter(s): 45x + Polarizing filter set filter(s)
Seeing: 6/10 Transparency: 2/5
Humidity: high
Sight: 4 - lots of details, very interesting, unique look
Difficulty: 1 - instantly visible, no dark adaptation or averted vision needed
Position: 1 - very easy, many bright stars nearby
Location: Lipótfa, Zselic, Hungary
Observer: Ferenc Lovró
Description:

Our Moon at its (nearly) fullest. This observation was made after a rainy day, so the atmosphere was soaking wet, making the Moon lit the whole entire night sky. As this was making virtually any deep-sky observation impossible, I decided to sketch the Moon. It took about an hour or more, and turned out to be an extremely difficult quest. Although there were many tiny details visible in my telescope, it is just impossible to sketch them all with the low resolution that rather small FoV circle of my observation log sheet permits. Small white dots, little domes and mountains, tiny bays... just can't sketch them all.
Hi-resolution image: [ reversed sketch | original sketch ]
Sign in

Username:
Password:



Articles

About me
My equipment

DIY - Cheshire Eyepiece
DIY - Apodizing mask

Messier Marathon 2013 Tavasz [magyarul]
Messier Marathon 2015 Tavasz [PDF]NEW!


Advertisement


All text and images are ©opyright of Ferenc Lovró. All rights reserved worldwide.

[2166600]