Several months ago, I read 21st Century Astronomy, a college-level introduction to the universe (focusing more on the workings of the universe than on observation). I then read other books, such as The Stars: A New Way to See Them to learn to recognize constellations, and A Field Guide to Stars and Planets for more in-depth information on observing the sky. At the same time, I went out as often as it was clear for naked eye observing, binocular observing, and eventually, I bought a telescope. I also joined an astronomy club.
Â
Early in my hobby, I started sketching what I saw. This helped me see more–it made me view the field critically, forced me to look for longer periods of time, and helped me keep track of transient stars (so dim, you see them only when the atmosphere settles down for a second or so). This was a challenge, as I am no artist, yet I continue to improve and enjoy doing it. The drawings also help me check what I saw against star maps and confirm that I found my target object. They also help me remember what it looks like so I may find it again.
Â
I plan to post drawings, descriptions, and so on, i.e. observation reports.
Â
A sample drawing is on the main page–not of what I observed, but of a starfield in Starry Night Pro Plus, version 5.8. I did this one for practice. The “real” ones aren’t as nice–it is hard to draw well in the field. I improved when I started sketching a rough draft in the field and redrawing it inside at a desk. Note the image on the main page has nearly realistic colors–I use pencils to plot stars on white (sometimes yellow) paper, then invert the colors to make it look a bit more photographic.
