Caroline

A quick introduction?

I am Caroline. Born in 1976, I’ve been doing astronomy since 2016. I’m on the visual observation, manual team, with my Dobson 254/1200, named Dobbie (it’s a SHE telescope). I started observations coached by SMS by an astronomer friend who was 700km away from me. I was rather alone and therefore somewhat struggling with which objects to point to.

What made you want to start astro-drawing?

Being alone facing the various objects I wanted to observe and not really knowing what they looked like, I searched on Google. And the astrophotos were superb! Except it had nothing to do with what I had in my eyepiece. I asked for help on an astronomy forum and they pointed me to astro-drawing. And indeed, the drawn objects REALLY looked like what I could see in the eyepiece. I took the plunge and started astro-drawing in 2019, after drooling with admiration at yet another astro-drawing on social media.

How do you draw? (tools, supports, telescope, eyepieces…)

I have a board on which I clip a sheet (white or black depending on my mood) with or without a template. The pencils are within reach on the board. My chair is height-adjustable, adaptable to the tube height. I juggle between three eyepieces depending on the object I want to draw: MaxVision 24mm / 82° Meade 14mm / 82° ExploreScientific 6.7mm / 82°

What are your best memories or your favorite drawings?

Although not great, in hindsight, my first drawing (Alcor and Mizar) is a beautiful memory because it was the first! Having a particular fondness for globular clusters, I really enjoyed drawing the Great Hercules Cluster (M13). My first lunar crater (Fracastorius) was a bit too smooth but Copernicus, my second crater, holds a special place. And my first white on black drawing, made a year after I started astro-drawing, is also a very good memory: M3 (globular cluster).

What is the most complicated object you’ve had to draw? And which one would you like to do or redo?

I think drawing the Moon, at full moon, was one of the most complicated drawings to make. The proportions, distances, orientations change as you work on it. I have in my projects to draw the Double Cluster of Perseus (NGC 884 and NGC 869). And I would have no problem redoing an already done drawing.

Do you have any advice for someone who wants to start drawing?

If you want to try: go for it! It’s much less difficult than it looks. And do your research, the astronomy club near you may have astro-drawers who will be happy to help you take your first steps.

Caroline