My First Nebula Sketch – M42 Orion Nebula

Visual Observations & Logs Sketching
1

Hi everyone, this is my first attempt at sketching a nebula. I’ve mostly drawn the Moon so far (phases and a number of craters), so this was a big change for me. Instead of sharp shadows and bright rims, I had to work with very faint, soft glows.

The city light washed out most of the fine detail, so I relied on averted vision. Looking slightly to the side of the nebula made the faint glow appear, and looking straight at it made them fade.

The hardest part was holding on to those faint glow long enough to draw them.

Equipment: 90/800 Reflector
Eyepiece: 15mm + 3X Barlow
Medium: White Pastel andCharcoal on black paper.
Location: Chennai, India.
Observation Date: 01st Nov 2026

1000363879
10003638791920×2401 307 KB

Since this is my first nebula, I’d really appreciate tips on seeing the faint detail from light-polluted skies. Thanks for looking!

Clear skies!

2 Likes
2

I’d really appreciate tips on seeing the faint detail from light-polluted skies.

For extended diffuse objects, it’s better to stick to lower magnifications in light polluted skies. Go for higher mag for smaller objects like planetary nebulae.

2 Likes
3

Thanks Siva for the tip. Higher power on small, bright targets like planetary nebulae makes sense.

1 Like