Messier Marathon 2001

This year, there will be a considerably good chance to combine the Messier marathon with an all-planet marathon, i.e. you can observe all solar-system planets during this night. Some comets brighter than about mag 14.0 will be visible; we will list them below, based on the JPL List of Currently Visible Comets (note: 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 is here because of a recent outburst):

Comet		   	      RA  (2000.0)  Dec  mag
			  	  March 27, 2001

24P/Schaumasse                04:00.83 +24:41.5  11.4
C/2000 W1 (Utsunomiya-Jones)  12:27.22 -05:38.8  13.3
C/1999 T2 (LINEAR)            16:10.92 +32:32.5  13.3
C/1999 T1 (McNaught-Hartley)  18:31.21 +58:41.0   9.1
29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1    19:11.32 -28:01.0  15.7 (Outburst ~11m)

Also, meteors from various showers may occur, and depending on your location, you may be able to observe the International Space Station, ISS. While most probably it will have been gone at preferred Marathon time - Russia intends to sink it just timely to steel it away from our observation on March 23-25, those with opportunity might try an early Messier Marathon, to include such an observation - Mir will probably stay to March 23. Consult the Mir visibility website for info if it is visible from your site.

• The 2001 All Arizona Messier Marathon will be held Saturday, March 24th at the Arizona City site.
• The Barnard-Seyfert Astronomical Society (Nashville) will be holding their 2nd annual Messier Marathon on the 24th and 25th of March, 2001. This event will take place at their normal dark-sky site on Natchez Trace Parkway in Tennessee. Contact Lonnie R. Puterbaugh at lputerbaugh@irby.com for more info. This event will begin at sunset and end at sunrise. Non-members of the BSAS are welcome with an e-mail notice of their desire to participate.
• The Black Canyon Astonomy Club plans a Messier Marathon on March 28, 2001. Contact Monica N. Treadway at Mntreadway@aol.com for more info.
• Klaus Schulze-Frerichs is planning on his 2nd Messier marathon (Mosborn Messier Marathon "Triple M") on march 24/25 in Frankfurt area (50° N) Germany. Find more info on his website.
• Russ Pinizzotto is planning a Messier Marathon from Missouri, and is looking for other interested parties in this area.
• The Celestron Nexstar e-Group (1200 members) and the Meade LX90 e-Group (260 members) are planning a long distance Messier Marathon with estimated 50-100 members participating from locations around the world. Info from Frank Dilatush (Denver, CO).
• The Northern Virginia Astronomy Club (NOVAC) is planning Messier Marathon opportunities from all their sites on March 23 and 24, 2001. Check their website.
• The Agrupacion Astronomica "Magallanes" of Jerez de la Frontera, Cadiz, Spain is planning a Messier Marathon on March, 24 2001. Contact Alberto Romero for more info.
• The 2001 Westport Astronomical Society (WAS) Messier Marathon will be held on the evening of March 23/24 at the Rolnick Observatory, 182 Bayberry Lane, Westport, CT 06880. The "rain" date will be March 24/25. For directions, check the WAS web site. For more information, call WAS at (203) 227-0925 or e-mail Cal Powell.
• The Junior section of the Grand Rapids Amateur Astronomical Association (GRAAA) will be hosting a Messier Marathon on the weekend of March 23, at the Veen Observatory in Lowell, MI. Contact Dan Braybrook.
• The Ohio Valley Astronomical Society, OVAS will conduct it's Messier Marathon on 3/24/01, probably at the "Greasy Ridge" Site. Directions are on their website, or contact Rodger Blake.
• TAC, The Astronomy Connection sponsors a Messier Marathon on March 24, 2001 at their Lake San Antonio, California site. Check their event schedule.
• The San Bernardino Valley Amateur Astronomers (SBVAA) and the Bear Valley Amateur Astronomical Society will have a Messier Marathon on the weekend of the 24, 25th of March at the Owl Canyon Campground north of Barstow, California. For more information see the SBVAA website.
• The SLO (Society of Low energy Observers) will be having a Messier Marathon on Saturday, March 24, 2001. Location is the Burton Site south of Memphis in Northern Mississippi. Contact Todd Slisher at slisher@midsouth.rr.com for more information.

If you have undertaken, or participated in, a Messier Marathon, 2001 or earlier, if not already done so, please email me your or your group's results, or the link to your results page, for inclusion in our Messier Marathon Results page!

Hartmut Frommert (spider@seds.org)
Christine Kronberg (smil@lrz.uni-muenchen.de)

Last Modification: 12 Mar 2001, 8:25 MET