How do I make my eyepiece sketches look more realistic?”
It’s a question observers often ask when trying to re-create the lifelike appearance of an eyepiece view. Thankfully, our images can benefit from several methods. They include techniques at the eyepiece, digital enhancements, and drawing tablets. In this month’s column, I want to chat about the first of the three — eyepiece techniques — and I’ll take a couple examples from the constellation Auriga the Charioteer.
The first is open cluster NGC 1778. At magnitude 7.7, it’s a fairly bright unconcentrated target with a low star count. Through an 8-inch telescope at 150x, you’ll see a patch of 20 stars stretching northwest to southeast. Through a 16-inch scope, 40 stars form two chains separated by a starless lane. The brighter northern chain has a 10th-magnitude double at its northern end.
Attention to detail is essential for realistic sketches. So while you draw NGC 1778 and its surroundings, you’ll want to include as many stars as possible. Concentrate on accurate placements and correct magnitudes. The amount you twist your pencil along with the pressure you apply regulate star brightness.