Date: Wed, 05 Apr 2000 00:00:39 +0000 From: Jessie Doguiles To: spider@seds.org Subject: My first Messier Marathon (solo) After visiting your website about a year ago, I decided to brush up on my Messiers using "The Messier Album" by Mallas and Kreimer and the Sky & Telescope Messier card. I have over 33 years of deep-sky observing experience and so this was just recreation to me. Last weekend, members of the San Bernardino Valley Amateur Astronomers met at Owl Canyon Campground to engage in a club Messier marathon. I had originally planned to attend and compete but due to a mix-up in communication and a work schedule, I did not make it. I did decide to see how many Messiers I could see in one night with of all things - binoculars! So last even and morning the night of April 3-4, I went to a remote dark spot here in the Big Bear area with nothing more than the Messier Card, my 20X80 binoculars, and a comfortable chair and began to rip up the night sky. Beginning with M31, 32 and 110, which were in the glow in the northwest, I continued through the Winter sky. I saw objects that I had never seen before, but should have due to their ease of location. I finished this section of the sky in about an hour. keeping a good pace. Continuing on to the Spring sky, I found galaxies in Ursa Major that were surprisingly bright and easy to spot. The Virgo Cluster really deserves the name "Heartbreak Ridge" and I am still wondering if I really saw everything there! I broke for the evening at Corvus and went home for a nap. Rising at 2:00AM, I continued the hunt with M-104 and introduced myself to M-83. I had never seen it before- it reminds me of M-33! I next ripped through Scorpius, Ophiuchus and Saggittarius without a hitch. Even M-19 was easy to find - compared to the extreme hassle I had finding it last year! I continued until dawn put a stop to my hunting. I was not able to see M-74, M-77, M-30 or M-76 - too much skyglow and or horizon light. Of course, using binoculars presents certain limitations - I found them easier than a telescope because of the correct left-right - rightside up orientation. Most hunting time is complicated by the reversal and inversion of directions.M-57 looked like a barely discernable hazy spot. M-40 is just two tiny stars. M-69, M-70 and M-54 are tiny and faint. M-72 and M-73 nearly evaded my glass. I am still not sure that I saw M-73! NGC objects servt to gum up the works. I wish that I could just "switch them off!" Living in the mountains at 6767' above sea level helps but the cold is torturous! This was my first attempt but hopefully next time around, I will have a better result. I will just keep practicing and trying new ideas out. Until next year... Paul Littlecoyote Big Bear City, CA