I’m Martijn and I live in the light polluted Netherlands with my wife and two kids. I have been interested in astronomy for all my life, but only since a few years (when I bought my first large telescope) the astro bug really caught me.

What attracts me most in visual astronomy is observing deepsky objects. I discovered that my observation skills improved when I started drawing what I saw through the eyepiece. However, the drawing process itself was so pleasing that it became a hobby of its own

For my observations I prefer to travel abroad, La Palma and France being the favorite destinations. But also from home, deepsky can still be an option as long as expectations are in line with the possibilities. I can still find rural skies at some locations in the north of Holland with SQM readings that can reach a max of 21.6 on those perfect nights. However, the seeing and transparency are a problem on most days.

I'm registering here because this forum truly focuses on deepsky, where my interest lies, and not on the solar system. I hope that I can make a contribution with my sketches and observations with my 16" telescope mainly from dark sites.

For more info, see www.deepskysketch.com