From: Timo Karhula
Subject: Nordic Messier-marathon record
Date: Sun, Mar 6, 2011 at 5:22 PM

Hi Messier fans!

Last night, I performed a Messier marathon, that is observing as many 
Messier-objects as possible in one night.  The conditions were superb, 
transparent skies and a wind that kept the optics from fogging.  
Started with the shallow-sky object, the New Moon.  Found it 20h 36m 
old with  8x40 binoculars.  It was also visible naked eye as an almost 
straight horizontal line.  It was my third youngest moon ever seen.

Then it became serious.  My observing site was Virsbo, 150 kms NW of 
Stockholm, Sweden.  A clear sight in every direction except towards 
north (it didn’t matter).  To be able to log the most of the M-objects, 
one must have succeeded with the objects in the west and south.  
I managed to view M79, M77 and M74 in succession which was crucial.  
Now, I could take it in a more leisurely pace.  I ticked off one Messier 
object after one other.  I could even go home and warm my hands once 
every hour (I don’t wear gloves when observing).  I was the Nordic 
record holder in 2008 when I viewed 83 messier-objects with binoculars.  
I lost the title in 2009 when Anders Wettergren saw 84 M-objects with 
his 43cm Dobson telescope.  Tonight, I didn’t manage  M68 in Hydra or 
M19 i Ophiuchus but, on the other hand, I succeeded with six objects 
in Serpens and Sagittarius until the twilight in the dawn became too 
strong.  After 10 hours and 24 minutes I observed 88 Messier-objects 
with at most 25x100 binoculars.  A perfect night, -5C, and a breeze 
that kept the optics from fogging.  Naked eye limiting magnitude 
about 7.0.

/Timo Karhula