Are you ready to marathon? Unless you have performed your homework beforehand you will have some real preparation to accomplish to successfully complete your marathon.

This is not an easy task! Personally observing 110 star clusters, nebulae and galaxies during the course of a single night requires planning, stamina and perhaps a strong will of accomplishment. The marathon is simply an all-night endurance race. This race is not against other observers but strictly against our closest star, the Sun. Your journey will cover a distance of 360 degrees (5 degrees short of the whole sky) of sky with 110 objects to observe along the way. Over the past 20 years, thousands of amateur astronomers either by themselves or in groups have joined this race against time. You ask how did astronomers get involved in such a race? Let me give you some background. Back in 1730 an astronomer great comet hunter of his time named Charles Messier was born. He was the tenth of twelve children and deeply impressed and influenced by the bright sight of a big comet in 1744. He was so influenced by this that he left home at the age of 21 to pursue a dream of astronomy. Messier arrived in Paris and was hired as an astronomer. He was limited to making copies of important documents and maps where he eventually became a skilled observer of the night skies and later assigned the task of looking for a comet to return to the skies over Europe in 1758. Edmund Halley had predicted the return of a comet and Charles was on the quest of locating it to conclude the prediction.

Charles Messier occasionally ran across fussy objects that appeared like comets but weren’t. He eventually published three catalogs locating the positions and describing these objects. These 103 objects now comprise the bulk of the modern Messier catalog. Over the years another 7 objects have been added to his catalog.

What: The Messier Marathon is an all night event (that is if you can last that long and stay awake!) in which you search, locate and try to identify as many of the Messier objects as you can. Just a note here that there are 110 (some lists only claim 109 objects) of those fuzzies in the night sky! If you have done your homework, prepared your itinerary down to the minute, it is possible to find and identify all 110 of them in one night’s work. I might interject here that you need to know what equipment you should use to accomplish this task. Like most of us, you will not run out and buy a special telescope just for this event. A 6” or larger telescope is suitable and will do nicely. I might say at this point that larger telescopes will give you a better chance to observe this faint fuzzies that we are searching for. Don’t let this deter you from trying to perform the marathon. Messier himself didn’t have anything any larger than an 80mm telescope. Those of you who are good at star hopping will feel very comfortable using the dobson type telescope. Others of us who have the “Go To” type telescopes will find it a lot easier to marathon with. I will note here that to really participate in the marathon the “Go To” calculations should be turned off. This is a requirement to obtain your Messier Marathon Certificate from several leading astronomical organizations. It is recommended that you use a telrad type finder to star hop to the proper location, then if you have a spotting scope you will use it as the second finder telescope and finally your telescope would be used last to identify the object. A set of binoculars are also helpful not only for most of the objects but you may be able to log some of the easier ones with them. Be prepared to do some unconventional and at times tiresome viewing to log all the objects in one night. With this in mind an adjustable observing chair is a good item to have along with some type of sky charts. You can surf the web or visit a local library to find may sky charts for your area if you can not purchase them prior to your departure. For those of you who classify yourself as beginners, you will need a red flashlight to preserve your night vision when trying to read the charts.

When: The optimal time to do the marathon for the maximum number of objects is in the month of March. This happens to be the only time of the year that the sun is located in the right position to allow you to view some of the objects in the twilight and dawn. Your marathon will start promptly at dusk and continue on throughout the night as the objects rise in your sky. You will continue throughout the night until dawn approaches when the final objects make themselves visible to you.

Where: With these fuzzies that we are trying to locate, you will have a more successful time if you have planned your marathon at a dark site. The darker the observing site is the better your chances of “bagging” the most objects. You will also need fairly decent unobstructed views of the northwest and southeast horizons. We have chosen the Mesquite campsite in Death Valley for this event to provide us with dark skies with restrooms available for the periods of rest there will be during other frantic times. I suggest that you already have refreshments prepared for those times of rest. I believe the comfort factor at this site is more than enough for an all night marathon!

Why: Guess the biggest reason to have a marathon is to have an assembly of astronomers who are interested in the night skies and love looking up. By doing the marathon you will add to your knowledge of the sky by learning what constellations the objects are in and where exactly they are located with in the constellation. This helps you memorize much of the night skies for your summer observation sessions. Let me add here that this is your hobby and the marathon has been set up for you to have fun among friends and associates so don’t get upset if you don’t log all 110 objects in a single night!

Who: Well, first of all you will need to be there. I strongly suggest that you invite and bring along any interested friends or relatives and those you suspect may even become backyard astronomers themselves! You might want to remind them that this is like a final exam of the skies and observing is not always this much work.

How: Obviously you must be prepared and have the right equipment. Like I stated previously, this is like a final exam so plenty of rest the night before and/or taking naps during the day will help prepare you for the long and full night of observing. Just at reminder here that the marathon is not intended to study the object, but only to identify the object and move on to the next one. You can find many Messier Logs that list the Messier Objects in the best order of viewing for the night. Many of these lists are divided into groups that can be studied during the break times between the flurry of observing. It is important that you have your equipment set up and ready to go. As soon as twilight starts, you will need to start finding objects before they set. There are a handful of objects you need to find right off, two of which are M74 and M77 in the west. These are difficult and may even be impossible for the equipment you are using at the time or the conditions that are present. Bag these quickly and move on. Don’t waste time as there are plenty of objects left that you will find. Many lists will have you looking for M72 and M73 next. As you find each object, just mark it off on the list you are using. If you come to a break, you may go back and try to catch the ones you missed, but time is of essence! As dawn approaches, the last one will probably be M30 in Capricorn. This can be difficult due to the visibility on the horizon and viewing conditions.

ASNLV is drawing up contest plans for those who are interested. My suggestion is to have a dry run on Friday night for those who are serious and then have the contest on Saturday night. As the agenda becomes solidified, please check on the site for the latest updates. You do not have to have a telescope to participate in this event. As a matter of fact if you could join up with a second person, verification of the objects observed could be speeded up and the knowledge obtain could be shared. Just some thoughts on the subject.

Have Fun: Last and most important, have fun. You don’t have to all of the objects! This is a friendly competition and is meant to challenge your abilities. Messier Marathons are designed to improve your viewing skills rather than being an end in themselves. Finally, if you do come after sunset, don’t forget to turn on your parking lights and turn off your headlights when arriving. Good luck and most of all keep warm and just have fun!

I have included several of the Messier objects that will be visible during the marathon. These objects will not appear as in the photos as the photos have been enhanced by long exposures and the colors are not perceptive by the human eye. Please don’t expect to see them like they are in this article. I hope that by seeing these objects that a fire will be lit in your heart to try to see as many as you can during the Death Valley Star Party at the end of the month.

Until later - keep your eye on the sky!