From: Geoghegan, Timothy E. To: spider Subject: 2000 Messier Marathon in Denver Date: Wed, 29 Mar 2000 16:51:35 -0500 This is the story of my first Messier Marathon - the challenge to view all 110 Messier deep space objects in one night. I have been in the hobby about a year now. I used the Hartmut Frommert compiled observer's form from the SEDS web site - www.seds.org/messier . As those in the hobby know, mid-March is the time to try the challenge but this year, the moon gets in the way. I decided to go for the early attempt since the weather was absolutely perfect in Denver. Here is my story. Date: 4 March 2000 Observer: Tim Geoghegan Location: Denver Astronomical Society Dark Sky Site. Latitude: 39deg40min North Longitude: 103deg55min West Time Zone: MST Instruments Used: - Telescope - 1999 Celestron 8" Starhopper Dobsonian - totally stock - Finder: Telrad; no finderscope - Eyepieces - 32mm(35x) Televue Plossl, 12mm(100x) Televue Radian, 7mm(174x) Pentax - Filter - Lumicon Deep Sky broadband. - Binoculars - 10x50 Bausch & Lomb Legacy - Table - Tailgate of the 1997 Ford F150 General Comments: No computers, no setting circles, just Tirion's Bright Star Atlas 2000 and the Crossen & Tirion Binocular Astronomy (the latter has a good detail chart of the Virgo-Leo Realm of the Galaxies). Weather was clear and low in mid 30sF. I am convinced that the computers / circles would have helped as the sky was lightening. Also, my guess is that being farther south would have been better (and warmer?). I would accept any advice on what was theoretically possible for that location and time (ie what had not yet risen before the sky brightened to greater magnitude than remaining objects). Observing Notes: Sequence - M# - Time - Comments(power) 1 M77 18:58 Faint, Stellar center, star next to it (100x). 2 M74 19:02 Very Faint against still darkening sky, sits across from a gap in a line of 4 stars(100x). 3 M33 19:07 Brighter & Big, Best at 100x with Deep Sky. 4 M110 19:09 Nicely nestled in a group of stars, better with DS.(100x) 5 M31 19:10 Better w/o DS, always wonderful (35x) 6 M32 19:11 Again w/o DS, pushed in at 100x 7 M52 19:16 Nice and tight, great center area (100x) 8 M103 19:19 Small and triangular (100x) 9 M76 19:25 One of the people just there for the evening came by for a chat, lost some time(174x) 10 M34 19:29 Big, in the "algol bowl", cute double at center(35x) 11 M45 19:31 Big, if God has a winter home, this is it (binocs) 12 M79 19:34 Small, tight, nicely nestled (174x) 13 M42 19:41 Couldn't leave it, saw the 'e' and 'f' babies, awesome creation (35 and 100x) 14 M43 19:41 In same view w/41 at 35x. 15 M78 19:44 Small, 1-sided like it's begin blown by the wind (100x) 16 M1 19:49 Found at 35x, nice at 100x, some structure at 174x. 17 M35 19:51 Big, fuzzy something just SW but not in Tirion (35x). 18 M38 19:56 Big, lots of stars, tight knot at wsw edge (35x) 19 M36 19:58 Less impressive than 38 (35x) 20 M37 20:00 Fainter than 36 but impressive detail at 100x 21 M41 20:10 My buddy came over to talk more, he thought he'd try this, showed him M74 to start; 41 good at 35x. 22 M93 20:14 Only slightly tighter than surroundings at 35x, 100x gave greater content. 23 M47 20:18 Bright but loose at 35x. 24 M46 20:20 Dimmer than 47 but much better content.(35x). 25 M50 20:24 Binocs needed to find this, insignificant w/in Milky Way richness at 35 or 100x. 26 M48 20:30 Big and loose at 35x. 27 M44 20:32 Too big for 'Iris'; best in binocs, nice bright blues.(10x) 28 M67 20:33 Smaller and fainter than 44, nice at 100x. 29 M95 20:38 Nice trio of galaxies almost fits in 35x; nice structure at 100x. 30 M96 20:39 Ditto to 95 with 105. 31 M105 20:40 Actually 2 galaxies side by side at 100x; Tirion says other is N3384. 32 M65 20:45 Nice grouping with M66 and N3628. [forgot to note power, guess 100x]. 33 M66 20:47 M65 longer and skinnier than 66; 100x. 34 M81 20:49 Nice at 100x. Wind is picking up now, I'm getting cold. 35 M82 20:50 Also nice at 100x. Cute trio with 81 and faint N3077. 36 M97 20:53 Owl eyes visible at 100x with DS filter. 37 M108 20:55 Just a sliver of a galaxy at 100x. 38 M109 21:01 Faint but tucked nicely in stars at 100x.[getting colder, got more clothes on]. 39 M40 21:10 Had to borrow a Telrad book to find this cute mag9&9.3 double. (100x). 40 M106 21:23 Lots of tiny galaxies in this area! 106 is bright at 100x. 41 M94 21:29 Very nice! [note for next time - Tirion doesn't change pages well with gloves - make tabs!] 42 M63 21:34 Smaller, fainter but nicely nestled in stars at 100x. 43 M51 21:46 [More chatting from my friend but he's going home now] 51 is great at 100x. 44 M101 21:50 Big Face-On; barely make out spiral; full frame at 100x. 45 M102 21:58 N5866 is assumed; small but good surface brightness (100x). 46 M53 22:05 Wow - Bright, tight glob is refreshing after straining for galaxy structure. (174x). 47 M64 22:24 [Got in truck to warm up for a bit] Very bright, model galaxy at 100x. 48 M3 22:29 Great Globs of Fire!! 174x. 49 M98 22:35 Sliver at 100x. 50 M99 22:37 A bit rounder than M98 at 100x. 51 M100 22:38 Fainter almost face-on (100x). 52 M85 22:40 I actually see 2 in same frame at 100x. 53 M84 22:44 Both 84 and 86 same frame at 100x. [site is clearing out now]. 54 M86 22:45 This place is swarming with galaxies!!! (100x) [later review says most at N4xxx galaxies] 55 M87 22:49 About the same scene; got N4476 and 4478 same frame at 100x. 56 M89 23:00 [Someone came by to chat]; this is very tiny (100x). 57 M90 23:02 Better, nicely nestled in stars at 100x. 58 M91 23:13 Out of sequence, easier star hop; not much of a view at 100x. 59 M88 23:15 Better than 91; nice double next to it. 100x. 60 M58 23:19 Easy hop, nice bright star near (100x). 61 M59 23:22 Good size but faint; 100x. 62 M60 23:23 Brighter, looks like 2 galaxies. 100x. 63 M49 23:37 [back in the truck to warm up]; Round and mottled - 100x. 64 M61 23:42 Round. 100x. 65 M104 23:45 Sharp disk with black edge. 100x. 66 M68 23:50 Dim glob, slightly resolved at 100x. 67 M83 23:55 Larger and nebulous, must look good in photo. 100x. 68 M5 00:08 Absolutely Stunning!!! 174x. Good time to take a break. 69 M13 02:43 [Back from a short nap in the truck]; What a waker-upper! Stunning! 174x. 70 M92 02:49 Smaller but still nice. 100 and 174x. 71 M57 02:51 One of my favorites - the Ring! 100 and 174x. 72 M56 02:55 [Coyotes howling, no one else here, scarry]; Much fainter - 100x. 73 M29 02:58 Tight, venturi-like grouping. 35x. 74 M39 03:00 Couple dozen stars loosely grouped - 35x. 75 M27 03:08 [Frost beginning now]; Dumbell - looks best at 100x with DS filter, like me (getting tired). 76 M71 03:12 Very faint glob, mottled at 100x. 77 M107 03:17 Again, faint, not well resolved at 100x, nebulous (or is it frost?). 78 M10 03:24 Bright, core nicely presented at 174x. [out of sequence] 79 M12 03:26 Richer core than M10, not fully resolved at 174x. 80 M14 03:33 Very nebulous (frost?) at 174x. 81 M9 03:36 Small, mottled, 174x. 82 M4 03:39 Spectacular!!! Full Frame and resolved at 174x! Wonderful site! 83 M80 03:42 Tiny but bright, mottled core at 174x. 84 M19 03:46 Another small glob, mottled at 174x. 85 M62 03:52 Small, mottled, unresolved at 174x and low on horizon. 86 M11 03:59 [Out of sequence; 6&7 not up high yet] Call this a "Glopen", very pleasant at 100x. 87 M26 04:06 Tiny grouping, insignificant at 100x [Something not in Tirion at 2 deg east??] 88 M16 04:16 Nebulocity, better with DS filter. 35x. 89 M17 04:18 Swan - best at 100x, wish I had time to enjoy this. 90 M18 04:20 Small grouping at 35x so went to 100x - pleasant. 91 M24 04:25 Huge! Bigger than 35x; Binocs are great! Small nebulocity near middle. 92 M25 04:27 Pleasant open with cute trio at center (tiny) - 35x full frame. 93 M23 04:31 Symetrical with bright star west side - 35x. 94 M21 04:33 Tight grouping, small in 35x, just above Trifid. 95 M20 04:35 Best at 35x w/o DS and at 100 w/DS. 96 M8 04:40 Great neb structure with DS at 100x. 97 M28 04:42 Small bright mottled core at 174x. 98 M22 04:45 Sibling of M13? great at 174x. 99 M7 04:50 Big and brite, full frame at 35x. 100 M6 04:51 Not as bright as M7, nice at 35x and denser. 101 M69 04:53 Tiny and unresolved at 174x. 102 M70 04:55 Same - am I frosting up more? 174x. 103 M54 04:56 Slightly better but still disappointing - 174x. 104 M15 05:03 Sky is lightening up!! DRAT!! This one was quick and easy at 35x. ---- M55 ------ Wasted time trying to find this! 105 M75 05:13 Dim but there at 100x. ---- M55 ------ Wasted more time trying to find this! 106 M2 05:24 Pure luck that I found this. --------------------- Venus rose at 05:30 - pretty! ---- M72, M73, M30 ---- Not found, nearly dawn now!!