How I Image my Sketches, transfer them to my computer and process and prepare them for publicaiton on my Blog or Paetron Pages.

 As the title describes, I've made a 3 video series that shows how after I have created my sketches, how I take an image of them, transfer them to my computer and then refine and process them in GIMP. I show how I round and brighten my stars, how I sometimes enhance an image to make it match more of what I saw at the eyepiece and how I prepare them for publication. I hope this helps and if you have ideas on how to improve, I'd love to hear them in the comments either here or over at Paetron. The videos are housed on Paetron at EadsyAstronomy. You can join for free and receive email updates when I post there. If you're able and want to donate to support me sharing such content, please feel free to do so there. Again though, all the content is free. The Tutorial is at this LINK over on EadsyAstronomy. 

Here is NGC 5557 a elliptical galaxy in Bootes that I sketched on July 23, 2025 at Cedar Mountain Wildnerness. The first is the raw sketch and the second is after I processed it in GIMP. I explain and show the differences and the reasons for the adjustments in my video. 

Here are my observing notes: At 317x in the 7mm XWA 100 degree FOV eyepiece in my 17.5" f/4.4 dob, the galaxy shows as a round object with a very bright inner core and a stellar nucleus. The outer halo is very faint on the edge. 

I made adjustments in GIMP to this sketch as I was happy with the actual galaxy I had sketched and I used GIMP to enhance the image so it matched what I saw in the eyepiece. More on the video! 

Sun releases a X5.16 Solar Flare from AR (Active Region) 4274

 The Sun is still showing it is quite active of late. If you have a solar telescope like I do, please take it out and look up, weather permitting. Don't EVER look at the Sun with your naked eye, unprotected. A solar telescope is made to do just that, look at the Sun. 

This morning at around 5:00 a.m. EST, the Sun released a X5.16 solar flare. Want to learn more about and learn the various levels of solar flares and what they mean? Head over to this LINK at Eadsy Astronomy and learn more about this flare and other flares there. 

This image from GOES-19 Suvi shows the flare and the correspoinding AR or Active Regions. Again, if you have a solar telescope it is well worth looking  at the Sun, weather permitting right now. 

How I use weather sites to determine when and where to Observe

 Okay another post over at Eadsy Astronomy that shares in video how I basically go about using a variety of weather sites to determine when and where I am going to observe. This week, possible Thursday night .Next week, right now Wednesday is looking good but I've commited to presenting on Sketching at the Salt Lake Astronomical Club (which it wasn't on new moon!).  We'll see how the weather turns out. 

From this session I show that based on my favorite observing sites I use, I am either going to my observing spot #2 off of Forest Road 006 south of Vernon Utah or to Top View on Toon Road off the Pony Express road. I'd prefer FR006 that night but we'll see tomorrow on where the forecast is. Here is the LINK if you want to head over and view the video. It is free to look at. In the future however, I'll make a post there in general terms but the videos will be free for members of Eadsy Astronomy. It is free to be a member and have access, and if you enjoy the content I post, and can help make a monthly contribution to help me cover my time in posting stuff up, it would be appreciated and I'll give you a shout out in each post! 

Video Tutorial on How I Select a New Observing Site

I did a post on this but I have now created a video recording of how I actually go about selecting a new observing site. It is for members of my Paetron Page, Eadsy Astronomy and is for free and paying members. So if your interested, simply join the page either for free or if you can make a contribution it is appreciated.  If you find my content interesting, please feel free to join Eadsy Astronomy over at Paetron. You can sign up for free and all content is free. If your able and wanting to donate to help compentate for the time put into publishing it is greatly appreciated and I'll share a shout out each  time I post with your name. Anyway, here is the LINK

Weekly Newsletter Nov 9th to the 15th

 Here is a LINK to my weekly newsletter if your interested in taking a look. I include a finderchart for Uranus if your interested! Please check it out, it's free. If you feel you want to support me and gain access to some of my videos of observing, sketching, imaging and such, and you can contribute feel free to join with a paid membership. It is appreciated! 

Lunar Observing and Lunar Sketches for September and October 2025.

 Again, I have posted a little bit about my journey of lunar observing and how, though for many years I ignored and dreaded the moon, how I changed and transformed to where I love lunar observing and appreciate how it opens up so much more of the month for observing and I really don't have to travel any further than my backyard to do it! It is an easy set up and take down since I'm home and I usually get my grandkids to join me for the first hour! 

Again the full post is over on my Paetron site. Feel free to head over at this LINK and take a look and read. It's free and if you so wish, feel free to join. I'll be adding soon how I go about doing lunar sketching and filming that as part of a podcast that I'll share with paying members at all levels. If you feel you can support me and my time in putting forward what I am doing and sharing, at any level it is deeply appreciated. If you can't the content is still free of course as my main goal is to share! Enjoy! 

To learn more about this sketch head over to my Paetron site!