Messier Marathon

Cassegrain, refractor, etc.)

  • Total number of years experience of amateur astronomy observing since birth.
  • Your age (If you are over 35, you may submit an age younger than your real age, but not lower than 35.  All others  must tell the truth and be ready to prove it.)
  • Type of telescope mount (alt-az, polar-aligned)
  • Setting circles used (none, setting circles, digital setting circles, computerized go-to telescope)
  • Detector (human eye, CCD camera, photographic emulsion)
  • Site (remote site away from home, backyard)
  • Light pollution (unaided eye limiting magnitude at observing site on the night of the observing run.)  If you have a good atlas, try to get this estimate to the nearest tenth of a magnitude. In any case, name the faintest star seen or describe its location.
  • Start/stop time (the wrist watch time the observing run started and the time it stopped.)
  • Date (the calendar date of the observing run, for example, Monday night March 8, 1999.)

5.  OBSERVING WINDOW

    The observing run must be made some time between March 1 and May 30, 1999.

6.  OBSERVING BREAKS

    Restroom or snack breaks are legal and do not count towards logged observing time.  No more than 15 minutes of non-observing time is allowed in any one hour.

7.  HANDICAPPED OBSERVING

    Handicapped observers may make reasonable accommodations to these rules, to observe while still keeping within the spirit of the Messier Marathon.  No rule is intended to prevent a member from observing and participating.

8.  AWARDS CEREMONY

    After the entry closing date,  we will hold an awards ceremony at a general meeting to be announced in Prime Focus. Everyone who participates will receive a certificate of achievement. If  the club
(See Messier Marathon, Page 7)

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of a photograph, the witness may verify the observation from a print. However, time spent checking pictures shall be recorded and counted in the total time of the observing run.  A CCD or photographic entry may include more than one Messier Object in the same picture.  All such Messier Objects may be counted  but each must be identified and verified.

2.  OBSERVER REQUIREMENTS

    At least one other club member who is not a family member must be present during the entire observing run.  (A TVS Messier Marathon just wouldn't be the same without another TVS member hanging around.)  To qualify as a member, a membership application and dues payment must at least have been postmarked by midnight of the night before the observing run.

3.  OBSERVING RUN RULES

    All observations must be made during one continuous observing run. You may not make an observing run and then submit only some portion of the observing run; the entire observing run must be submitted.  You may only make one observing run in one night.  Practice observing runs on prior nights are allowed, but  not on the night for which you submit your observing run.  The minimum observing run is at least one (1) hour in length.

4.  HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR ENTRY

    The entries must be sent by mail to the club mailing address. All entries must be postmarked by May 31, 1999.

5.  OBSERVING RUN DATA REQUIREMENT

    The following information is required for a valid entry.  This information must be consistent  for the entire observing run submitted.  For example,  you may not switch telescopes during your personal Messier Marathon.  Write all this information on one sheet of paper and include it with you observation records:

  • Aperture in inches or millimeters.
  • Focal ratio (f/ratio).
  • Type of telescope (Newtonian, Schmidt-
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