2026-02-28
I want to take some time to document some of the recent purchases and changes made to my stargazing setup. Each small change can further alleviate a small annoyance and save time in the field, freeing me up to do what I actually want to do: observe and sketch the night sky!
Mount
Here is a current image of my mount, with annotations for each object described below:
A: Svbony SV172 Lens Warmer
After tempting a few nights of observations with higher dew points and seeing the effects of dew on the objective lens. I recently purchased a USB powered heating strip that I can pull out and install at any time.
The red flashlight (F) can also act as a small USB powertank, and with it mounted close to the scope that allows me quick and easy access to install the dew strip if needed.
B: Dual Axis Motor Drive for CG4 Mounts
This is the battery pack and the controls that have been “command stripped” together. I’m only using the right ascension motor, but the cables have been neatly cable tied and run up through the CG-4 mount’s polar axis. The polar axis has a cap that can be unscrewed for an additional accessory scope that can help you polar align your mount, but I’ve unscrewed it allowing the right ascension motor control cable to neatly and easily run to the motor (E) without the possibility of it getting snagged on something in the dark while I’m slewing the telescope.
C: Unihedron Sky Quality Meter
I keep the sky quality meter “command stripped” (velcro) to the front leg of my mount. This is strong enough to hold it in place while moving the mount, but still allows me to pull it off for use.
D: Ball-Jointed LED Reading Light
We used this wall mounted LED reading light at home for a while, but after years of not being used I decided to tape red construction paper under the LED and attempt to use it as an addition light source for field observations. What is nice, is that the light has a magnetic inset designed to affix to a wall mounted ball-joint, however the inset was the perfect size to fit around the bolts that hold the CG-4’s legs and the magnet is the perfect strength to keep it affixed. This allows me flexibility in the field to easily swap this light to whatever side of the tripod I’m sitting on.
E: Right-Ascension Motor
This is the motor affixed to the right ascension cable control, powered and controlled by (B).
F: Celestron PowerTank Glow 5000
This red light flashlight is mounted for quick and easy access if needed. It also is placed close to the scope to act as a USB powerbank for the dew strip (if needed).
Art
I have recently decided to try to move away from using acrylic in my sketches. I have noticed, especially in lunar sketches, that too much acrylic on the page hinders me from applying additional details with the white charcoal pencils. It seems to make the page too smooth, preventing charcoal from actually sticking to the page.
To help with this I’m going to try to start rubbing some charcoal from the pencil on the side of the page, then pick up and apply the granulated charcoal wherever I need to using a blending stump. This will also save me the trouble of the fine acrylic dust getting all over the place. In some small tests, this method seems to work well and does not appear much different from using acrylic. The benefit is the charcoal seems to be a little lighter in color but it is harder to apply over large areas (especially for lunar sketching).
Here is a current picture of my art-supply setup with annotations of each object below:
A: ArtBin 6838AG Sketch Board
I stumbled across this sketch board recently and it seemed a perfect fit. I was looking for some type of clipboard that can both act as a hard surface and as a storage device for my art supplies. Prior to this, I was using a simple clipboard with storage, but there were no holders for brushes and pencils. This allows me now to neatly keep all my art supplies in one place.
B: hooga Red Book Light
This clip-on USB rechargeable three-tone red light was a big find last year. I had to tape some layered paper over the light since even the lowest setting was way too bright. I was able to “command strip” this light to the inside of the sketch board, allowing a flexible light source close to my sketch.
C: Kneaded Eraser & Pocket Watch
A simble kneaded eraser. I wasn’t aware of how much I would use this thing when I first started sketching, but it has been a very often used tool in my toolkit.
The pocket watch was a gift from a great friend long ago. I’ve “command stripped” the back of it to the sketch board allowing me to time stamp my visual observations.
D: Lunar and Field Atlas
A simple moon map and the Sky and Telescope’s field atlas neatly tucked behind the art supplies.