The Messier Marathon
What is the Messier Marathon?
There are many sites on the internet that describe the origins, procedure, helpful hints and logging of the event for the Marathon. But to simplify the Marathon, It is a search for all of the 110 Messier objects which should be visible in one night. This being said, the best time to view the objects is around the time of the vernal equinox (end of the month of March). You will need a very dark, clear night from Sunset to Sunrise.
There is a searchable order to finding these objects which begins as soon as it gets dark enough to find the object with either a telescope or binoculars. The first objects, being in the Western sky, are the hardest to find. Good Luck and Clear Skies.
Below is a list of links that I have found to help you conduct your search
Messiermarathon.com - Everything about the Marathon
http://www.astronomical.org/astbook/messier1.htm
Astronomical League: The Messier List. - Lists the Messier Objects by Season, Not the best order for viewing
David Greens - Ultimate Messier Log Database
Hawaiian Astronomical Society - Messier Listing - very good site with star maps and images
ASTROSURF Marathon search sequence - has a log sheet at the end to print for your use
STELLAR SCENES- Messier Database with plenty of other information and great images
And if these links don't give you enough information on finding the Messier Objects, then go to any of many search engineers on the net and search for "messier". There's a ton of them out there.
There's one link that I can not find and that one is the Messier Marathon by Star Hopping. I've seen it in hard copy but I can not find that particular list on the Net. If anyone knows where this page can be found, please email me. starbash@verizon.net
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