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Astronomy sketches

Explore sketches, drawings, and illustrations that simplify ideas related to Astronomy.

Orbit illustration: how a satellite stays in orbit - the balance between its velocity and gravity pulling it towards EarthOrbitAstronomer watching the light of one star moving away being redshifted and one star moving towards being blueshiftedRedshiftRussell's Teapot illustration: an unexceptional china teapot floats peacefully in space with part of a large burnt-red planet visible in the background. Bertrand Russell's quote fills the space: "If I were to claim "there's a teapot, too small to spot, orbiting between Earth and Mars", the burden of proof lies on me."Russell's TeapotSolstice: illustration showing the paths of the sun in winter, summer and on the equinoxesSolsticeWhat is the scale of solar system distances explained: show how big is the solar system, what is an astronomical unit and the distances between planetsSolar system planets: how big is the solar system?What is The Overview Effect example explained: the classic moonrise photo from the Apollo 11 moon missions with 2 astronauts have a bit of a moment and need to sit down when taking in the majestic view of Earth from the moon and realise this is all we've got.The Overview Effect A Profound Shift in PerspectiveWhat is a blue Moon illustration: on a year-long timeline, the occurrence of full moons is plotted for each month. A blue moon is when a full moon occurs twice in the same month - once at the beginning and again at the end of the month. What is a blue moon?What causes seasons showing how it is caused by the earths tilt and light hitting differently in the north and south hemispheresSeasonsWhat is the Goldilocks Zone: the range that supports life and distance from a star which supports liquid waterThe Goldilocks ZoneWhat is the potato radius example explained: showing a bumpy potato-like asteroid at the centre of an expanding circle and how it becomes rounder and more planet like as it gets largerThe Potato Radius: When Asteroids Turn SphericalBortle ScalePhases of the moon diagram: new moon, full moon, crescent moon, gibbous moon and waxing and waning phasesPhases of the moonAsteroids, meteors and meteoritesThe Southern Cross to find South: Star chart showing how to find South in the Southern hemisphere using star groups called the Southern Cross and The PointersUse the Southern Cross to find SouthHow to find the North Star polaris in the Northern hempisphere and which way is North: This sketch shows a drawing of the Northern Hemisphere, the Big Dipper, and the Little Dipper. Follow the last two stars of the Big Dipper to a prominent star. The North star is the star that stays fixed in those neat star trails photos with all the stars rotating in a circle as the earth turns.Find the North starPole starThe moon illusion - psychology and causes still debatedThe moon illusionSupermoon illustration: showing the moon large at its perigee, when it is closet to Earth, and smaller at it's apogee, when it's furthest from EarthSupermoonIncredibly, we only ever see one side of the moon
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