| Running a Messier Marathon |
The date is set and the site selected. You've practiced finding the most challenging evening and morning objects. Your observing list, charts, telescope and accessories are at the ready. It's dusk on the night of the Messier Marathon. This section offers suggestions to help you run your Messier Marathon. It's built around my recommended, seven-stage observing list. Tips and suggestions follow each stage. I've observed and sketched all the Messier objects. You'll find my sketches in the Messier Objects area of Cosmic Voyage.
| Stage 1: The Evening Objects (7:30pm to 8:30pm) |
Order Messier Const. RA Dec. Type Mag. Size # # (2000.0) (V) (arc min) 1 M45 Tau 3h 47.0m 24° 07' OC 1.2 110 2 M42 Ori 5h 35.4m -5° 27' DN --- 66x60 3 M43 Ori 5h 35.6m -5° 16' DN --- 20x15 4 M103 Cas 1h 33.2m 60° 42' OC 7.4 6 5 M52 Cas 23h 24.2m 61° 35' OC 6.9 13 6 M76 Per 1h 42.4m 51° 34' PN 12.2P 1 7 M34 Per 2h 42.0m 42° 47' OC 5.2 35 8 M31 And 0h 42.7m 41° 16' Gal 3.5 178x63 9 M32 And 0h 42.7m 40° 52' Gal 8.2 8x6 10 M110 And 0h 40.4m 41° 41' Gal 8.0 17x10 11 M33 Tri 1h 33.9m 30° 39' Gal 5.7 62x39 12 M77 Cet 2h 42.7m -0° 01' Gal 8.8 7x6 13 M74 Psc 1h 36.7m 15° 47' Gal 9.2 10x10
The evening and morning stages are the most difficult of the Marathon. You're racing against the clock to make observations of dim objects against a twilight sky. Keep in mind that 97 objects are waiting to be observed after the sky gets fully dark. If you miss a few during Stage 1, it's not the end of the world...or the marathon. Set up at least an hour before sunset. This will give your telescope's optics time to cool to the ambient air temperature. Use one of the first stars to appear to check focus and collimation. Sirius will appear in the southern sky. Capella will appear high overhead. Once the observing begins, I recommend you use an eyepiece producing a minimum true field of view of one degree. My preference is about a 1.5 degree true field for this kind of observing. Remember, you're after detections not detail.
The Pleiades (M45) will be the first Messier object to appear, easily visible to the naked eye from a dark sky site. By then, the belt of Orion should be visible in the fading twilight. M42 and M43 should be an easy star hop. The open star clusters of Cassiopeia, M103 and M52, are next on the list. Moving into Perseus, seek out the "Little Dumbbell," M76, and M54. M31 will be the next Messier object to become visible. M32 will probably be visible, but don't spend a lot of time trying to find M110. You can always come back for it. While you're in the area, try for M33. Again, if it's not visible, move on and come back to it.
The last two objects on the Stage 1 list are M77 and M74. M77 is conveniently placed near Delta Ceti. It's a small galaxy with a high surface brightness and shouldn't give you too much trouble. M74 is another matter. A lot of marathoners miss this object. The 3rd magnitude star, Eta Piscium, is very near M74. If Eta is not visible, try for Beta and Gamma Arietis and star hop from there. M74 is really tough against a twilight sky. Spend no more than five minutes on M74 before going back for any other evening objects that were missed.
| Stage 2: The Winter Objects (8:30pm to 9:30pm) |
Order Messier Const. RA Dec. Type Mag. Size # # (2000.0) (V) (arc min) 14 M79 Lep 5h 24.5m -24° 33' GC 8.0 9 15 M78 Ori 5h 46.7m 0° 03' DN --- 8x6 16 M1 Tau 5h 34.5m 22° 01' DN --- 6x4 17 M35 Gem 6h 08.9m 24° 20' OC 5.1 28 18 M38 Aur 5h 28.7m 35° 50' OC 6.4 21 19 M36 Aur 5h 36.1m 34° 08' OC 6.0 12 20 M37 Aur 5h 52.4m 32° 33' OC 5.6 24 21 M41 CMa 6h 47.0m -20° 44' OC 4.5 38 22 M93 Pup 7h 44.6m -23° 52' OC 6.2 22 23 M50 Mon 7h 03.2m -8° 20' OC 5.9 16 24 M47 Pup 7h 36.6m -14° 30' OC 4.4 30 25 M46 Pup 7h 41.8m -14° 49' OC 6.1 27 26 M48 Hya 8h 13.8m -5° 48' OC 5.8 54 27 M44 Cnc 8h 40.1m 19° 59' OC 3.1 95 28 M67 Cnc 8h 50.4m 11° 49' OC 6.9 30
There aren't any particularly tough objects in Stage 2. Most are large open star clusters. M79, M93 and M41 are the most southerly of these. Don't let them slip below the horizon. M1 and M78 are probably to the toughest visual challenges. If they're not seen upon first inspection, move on and come back after a few objects. It's important to have an observing plan. It's also important to be flexible with that plan. You may encounter a few bright NGC objects while working through this section. The open cluster, NGC 2158, is visible near M35. NGC 2423 is an open cluster near M47. Watch for the planetary nebula, NGC 2438, amongst the stars of M46.
| Stage 3: The Spring Objects (9:30pm to 11:00pm) |
Order Messier Const. RA Dec. Type Mag. Size # # (2000.0) (V) (arc min) 29 M95 Leo 10h 44.0m 11° 42' Gal 9.7 7x5 30 M96 Leo 10h 46.8m 11° 49' Gal 9.2 7x5 31 M105 Leo 10h 47.8m 12° 35' Gal 9.3 5x4 32 M65 Leo 11h 18.9m 13° 05' Gal 9.3 10x3 33 M66 Leo 11h 20.2m 12° 59' Gal 9.0 9x4 34 M81 UMa 9h 55.6m 69° 04' Gal 6.9 26x14 35 M82 UMa 9h 55.8m 69° 41' Gal 8.4 11x5 36 M108 UMa 11h 11.5m 55° 40' Gal 10.1 8x3 37 M97 UMa 11h 14.8m 55° 01' PN 12.0P 3 38 M109 UMa 11h 57.6m 53° 23' Gal 9.8 8x5 39 M40 UMa 12h 22.4m 58° 05' DS 8.0 1 40 M106 CVn 12h 19.0m 47° 18' Gal 8.3 18x8 41 M94 CVn 12h 50.9m 41° 07' Gal 8.2 11x9 42 M63 CVn 13h 15.8m 42° 02' Gal 8.6 12x8 43 M101 UMa 14h 03.2m 54° 21' Gal 7.7 27x26 44 M51 CVn 13h 29.9m 47° 12' Gal 8.4 11x8 45 M102 UMa 15h 06.5m 55° 46' Gal 9.8 5x2 46 M53 Com 13h 12.9m 18° 10' GC 7.7 13 47 M64 Com 12h 56.7m 21° 41' Gal 8.5 9x5 48 M3 Com 12h 40.0m -11° 37' Gal 8.3 9x4
Most of these objects are bright galaxies. Appearing delicate and fragile, each one represents the combined energy output of hundreds of billions of stars. Some are bright enough to show spiral structure. Others are no more than ghostly apparitions, barely detectable from a typical suburban location. All are truly amazing when you consider that the light touching your eye has been travelling through space since before human beings walked the face of the Earth.
You've got 90 minutes to find 20 objects. Fortunately, many are located within close proximity of each other. The first three objects are located within a degree of each other. M95 and M96 make a nice pair at low power. Can you see NGC 3384 and NGC 3389 alongside M105? M65 and M66 share the same field with NGC 3628. Other Messier pairs in this group include M81 & M82 and M108 & M97. Nearly half the objects in this stage can be found in a handfull of star hops. Most people don't realize that M51, the Whirlpool Galaxy, is a two-part object. Charles Messier recorded both the large, face-on spiral (NGC 5194) and the smaller interacting galaxy (NGC 5195). Can you see both?
| Stage 4: The Virgo Cluster (11:00pm to 12:00am) |
Order Messier Const. RA Dec. Type Mag. Size # # (2000.0) (V) (arc min) 49 M98 Com 12h 13.8m 14° 54' Gal 10.1 10x3 50 M99 Com 12h 18.8m 14° 25' Gal 9.8 5x5 51 M100 Com 12h 22.9m 15° 49' Gal 9.4 7x6 52 M85 Com 12h 25.4m 18° 11' Gal 9.2 7x5 53 M84 Vir 12h 25.1m 12° 53' Gal 9.3 5x4 54 M86 Vir 12h 26.2m 12° 57' Gal 9.2 7x6 55 M87 Vir 12h 30.8m 12° 24' Gal 8.6 7x7 56 M89 Vir 12h 35.7m 12° 33' Gal 9.8 4x4 57 M90 Vir 12h 36.8m 13° 10' Gal 9.5 10x5 58 M88 Com 12h 32.0m 14° 25' Gal 9.5 7x4 59 M91 Com 12h 35.4m 14° 30' Gal 10.2 5x4 60 M58 Vir 12h 37.7m 11° 49' Gal 9.8 5x4 61 M59 Vir 12h 42.0m 11° 39' Gal 9.8 5x3 61 M60 Vir 12h 43.7m 11° 33' Gal 8.8 7x6 63 M49 Vir 12h 29.8m 8° 00' Gal 8.4 9x7 64 M61 Vir 12h 21.9m 4° 28' Gal 9.7 6x6 65 M104 Vir 12h 40.0m -11° 37' Gal 8.0 8x3 66 M68 Hya 12h 39.5m -26° 45' GC 8.2 12 67 M83 Hya 13h 37.0m -29° 52' Gal 8.0 11x10
It is easy to get lost in the Virgo cluster. There are so many bright galaxies in this section of sky. Many are bright NGC galaxies not even in the Messier catalog. A detailed chart is essential to successful navigation of this region. Well, if it's charts you need, it's charts you'll get. Click on the button for my guided tour through the heart of the Virgo cluster.
| Stage 5: Nap Time (12:00am to 2:00am) |
OK, stop laughing. You're thinking it's silly to take a nap during a marathon. Trust me, it's not silly. A short nap rejuvenates tired eyes and a sore neck. You'll likely be suffering from both after finishing the Virgo cluster. If a nap isn't what you need, take a break for a snack and a hot drink. Visit with other marathoners. Even if you wanted to start on the next stage, you'd discover that the summer constellations are too low in the east. Scorpius and Sagittarius aren't high enough to make observing practical until after at least 1:30am. Give yourself a break.
| Stage 6: The Summer Objects (2:00am to 4:00am) |
Order Messier Const. RA Dec. Type Mag. Size # # (2000.0) (V) (arc min) 68 M5 Ser 15h 18.6m 2° 05' GC 5.8 17 69 M13 Her 16h 41.7m 36° 28' GC 5.9 17 70 M92 Her 17h 17.1m 43° 08' GC 6.5 11 71 M57 Lyr 18h 53.6m 33° 02' PN 9.7P 1 72 M56 Lyr 19h 16.6m 30° 11' GC 8.3 7 73 M29 Cyg 20h 23.9m 38° 32' OC 6.6 8 74 M39 Cyg 21h 32.2m 48° 26' OC 4.6 32 75 M27 Vul 19h 59.6m 22° 43' PN 7.6P 6 76 M71 Sge 19h 53.8m 18° 47' GC 8.3 7 77 M107 Oph 16h 32.5m -13° 03' GC 8.1 10 78 M12 Oph 16h 47.2m -1° 57' GC 6.6 15 79 M10 Oph 16h 57.1m -4° 06' GC 6.6 15 80 M14 Oph 17h 37.6m -3° 15' GC 7.6 12 81 M4 Sco 16h 23.6m -26° 32' GC 5.9 26 82 M80 Sco 16h 17.0m -22° 59' GC 7.2 9 83 M9 Oph 17h 19.2m -18° 31' GC 7.9 9 84 M19 Oph 17h 02.6m -26° 16' GC 7.2 14 85 M62 Oph 17h 01.2m -30° 07' GC 6.6 14 86 M7 Sco 17h 53.9m -34° 49' OC 3.3 80 87 M6 Sco 17h 40.1m -32° 13' OC 4.2 15 88 M11 Sct 18h 51.1m -6° 16' OC 5.8 14 89 M26 Sct 18h 45.2m -9° 24' OC 8.0 15 90 M16 Ser 18h 18.8m -13° 47' DN --- 35x28 91 M17 Sgr 18h 20.8m -16° 11' DN --- 46x37 92 M18 Sgr 18h 19.9m -17° 08' OC 6.9 9 93 M24 Sgr 18h 16.9m -18° 29' OC 4.5 120x40 94 M25 Sgr 18h 31.6m -19° 15' OC 4.6 32 95 M23 Sgr 17h 56.8m -19° 01' OC 5.5 27 96 M21 Sgr 18h 04.6m -22° 30' OC 5.9 13 97 M20 Sgr 18h 02.6m -23° 02' DN --- 29x27 98 M8 Sgr 18h 03.8m -24° 23' DN --- 90x40 99 M28 Sgr 18h 24.5m -24° 52' GC 6.9 11 100 M22 Sgr 18h 36.4m -23° 54' GC 5.1 24 101 M69 Sgr 18h 31.4m -32° 21' GC 7.7 4 102 M70 Sgr 18h 43.2m -32° 18' GC 8.1 8 103 M54 Sgr 18h 55.1m -30° 29' GC 7.7 9 104 M55 Sgr 19h 40.0m -30° 51' GC 7.0 19 105 M75 Sgr 20h 06.1m -21° 55' GC 8.6 6
This may be the most physically exhausting stage of the marathon. You'll have about two hours to log 38 objects. That's one every three minutes. This is the time when a thermos of hot cocoa, tea or coffee is invaluable. It's also a time when taking a break from the observing plan can be the right decision. During the 1999 Messier Marathon, I was really dragging when I entered Sagittarius. I abandoned the observing plan to track down five objects I knew by heart. It took less than five minutes but, by the time I'd gotten back to the plan, my total for the night had reached 90 objects. Reaching that milestone left me feeling refreshed and motivated to continue the marathon.
| Stage 7: The Morning Objects (4:00am to Sunrise) |
Order Messier Const. RA Dec. Type Mag. Size # # (2000.0) (V) (arc min) 106 M15 Peg 21h 30.0m 12° 10' GC 6.4 12 107 M2 Aqr 21h 33.5m -0° 49' GC 6.5 13 108 M72 Aqr 20h 53.5m -12° 32' GC 9.4 6 109 M73 Aqr 20h 59.0m -12° 38' OC 8.9P 3 110 M30 Cap 21h 40.4m -23° 11' GC 7.5 11
These final five objects are really tough. The sky will be growing brighter by the minute. You'll be exhausted, hungry and cranky. Don't let missing an object or two get you down. You'll have logged as many as 105 Messier objects. Even if you don't get any of the objects in Stage 7, you will have had a successful night.
An equatorial mount offers real advantages when hunting these last objects. The key is taking advantage of the north-south and east-west motion of the axes. Do this by counting finder scope fields while moving through right ascension and declination. You're not breaking any marathon code of ethics. You're just taking advantage of the natural motion of your telescope mount.
During the 1999 All-Arizona Messier Marathon, I made the slew from M75 to M15--a star hop of more than 40°--by counting finder scope fields. M15 and M2 are only offset by one degree in RA. The slew is almost all in declination. M72 and M73 are within 1.5° of each other, another easy hop.
The final object is M30. It rises late and will be tough to locate against a twilight sky. If you miss it, count yourself among the hundreds of amateur astronomers who have gotten everything except M30. If you get it, I hope you got the others. You'll be among an exclusive group of observers who have bagged all 110 Messier objects from dusk to dawn in one glorious night.
Home | About Cosmic Voyage | Getting Started | Deep-sky Observing | Planetary Observing | Astrophotography | Sketching | Glossary | Web Links
URL: http://www.cosmicvoyage.net
Layout, design & revisions © W. D. Ferris
Comments and Suggestions: wdferris1@gmail.com
Revised: March 29, 2002 [WDF]