My sketch of M24 in Sagittarius. I used my Orion 130mm Short Tube F5 using a 32mm Plossel which for this telescope is 20x.
This was my first attempt to sketch an astronomical object. It created it on August 9, 2004 by simply by sketching what you see in a telescope eyepiece. Astronomers used this practice for thousands of years to record their observations. This practice was useful well into the twentieth century. Astrophotography only became practical for for amateur astronomers in the last twenty years but the sketching is making a come back.
Sketching is also a form of study. It sharpens the powers of observation. More details become apparent during the process of recreating what is being observed. Also, anything you create with your own hands is more rewarding. You will look at it over the years and not only remember what you sketched but when you made it, what the conditions were, even the smell and feel of the night air (or how frigid for that matter). You capture more than pencil sketches. You capture moments in time.
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