The Messier Marathon Results are available online as http://www.seds.org/messier/xtra/marathon/results.html (and are imbedded in the SEDS Messier pages, http://www.seds.org/messier/) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Messier Marathon Observer's Results for 1996 compiled by Hartmut Frommert * Tony Cecce logged 101 objects on March 15-16 with a 8" F7 Coulter dobsonian (one of the last of these instuments). He posted his report to the ASTRO mailing list, and it can be obtained online as http://www.seds.org/messier/xtra/marathon/cecce96.txt * Wesley Stone scored 103 (all but M74, 30, 55, 70, 72, 73, 75); look at his 1996 Messier Marathon Results at http://www.lclark.edu/~wstone/stuff/messier.html * Shawn Clark hunted down 108 Messier objects (all but M74 and M30) on March 19-20, 1996 in his first Messier Marathon; congratulations for this high first-time talley ! Read his observing report at http://www.seds.org/messier/xtra/marathon/sclark96.txt * Phil Harrington has run his second best marathon this year. He picked off 107 of them (missing M30, M55, and M73) using his 18-inch reflector from a dark-sky site on eastern Long Island. * Carl Lancaster of Greenwich, CT, used his 10-inch to find 100 of them from the same site on eastern Long Island. * The 1996 All-Arizona Messier Marathon was hold on March 16-17, involving about 65 telescopes all crewed with observers in an excellent location 35 miles north of Kitt Peak (but 100 miles to drive), about half-way between Phoenix and Tucson. 30 observers published their results, including David Fredericksen of the SAC who hunted them all down with his 12.5-inch Dobsonian, 4 observers who logged 109 (all missing M30), and another 13 who logged at least 106, and two more in the "100 +" (thus a total of 20 observers). Congratulations! Detailed published results: num name scope organ. missed 110 David Fredericksen 12.5"f6Dob SAC 109 AJ Crayon 8"f6N SAC 30 Tom McGowan 20"f5Dob MA 30 Tony Ortega 10"f5.6Dob EVAC 30 Don Wrigley 10"Dob EVAC 30 108 Carl V. Anderson 8"f6N UofA 73 30 Adam Block 12.5"Dob UofA 73 30 M. Aaron McNeely 8"Dob EVAC 73 30 Ken Reeves 10"f4.5Dob SAC 72 30 Wade Holguin 8"SCT ? 74 30 Jack Jones 10"f4.5N SAC 74 30 107 Paul Dickson 8"f4.5Dob SAC 72 73 30 Bob Gardner 10"f4.5N SAC 72 73 30 Manfred/Diane Alber13.1"f4.5Dob EVAC 74 73 30 Rick Rotramel 16"f4.4N SAC 74 02 30 106 Steve Bell 10"f5.6N EVAC 02 72 73 30 Flynn Haase 4.5"N UofA 74 72 73 30 Steve White 12.5"Dob UofA 74 72 73 30 102 Hazel Lawler 17.5"f4.5Dob TAAA 77 74 75 15 02 72 73 30 101 Rob Smalley 8"SCT EVAC 77 74 33 31 32 110 03 72 30 97 Bob Birket ? ? 96 Rod Lowe 6"f4.5N SAC 94 Glenn Nishimoto 8"f4.5N TAAA 89 Mike Lercy? 4"Refractor ? 84 John Kannarr 13.1"Dob SAC 82 Adam Sunshine 12.5"Dob SAC 60 Regina Lawless 6"f3.6 SAC 56 Angelle Tanner 10X70Binos UofA 55 Charles Whiting ? SAC 22 Matthew Spinelli 8"SCT ? Report and results are available online at: http://www.seds.org/messier/xtra/marathon/all-az96.txt * Dawn Jenkins was less lucky with the weather this time, but her Messier Marathon Report of March 15-16, 1996 is available online as http://www.seds.org/messier/xtra/marathon/dawnj96.txt" Together with friends, she logged 22 Messier objects + one NGC globular, plus observed comet Hyakutake * Jim Hendrickson (URL:http://bu-ast.bu.edu/buas/jhendric/home.html) completed his most successful marathon to date on March 16-17,1996. He tagged 76 objects with a 70mm Pronto (!). He pretty much skipped the entire Virgo cluster, and missed a few of the globulars in Sagittarius when dawn started. * Prof. Musante of the University of Massachusetts bagged 98 Messier objects on March 16/17, 1996, from his local group's dark sky site in the Berkshire's of western Massachusetts (i.e., Arunah Hill). He missed the first six objects (his scope was in a bad place and couldn't get them through the trees), and he didn't get the last six (partially for the same reason). His observing companion, John Davis got 104 by using binoculars to get the first six. This was his second marathon; his first, in 1995, suffered from clouds after about 1:00 AM. * Out of the run, but notable to see what can be done at any date, not only at Marathon time in March: At the Winter Star party this year, Scott Smith ran his personel "mini marathon", and bagged 56 Messier objects. Also respectable, taking into account that this was his first "mini thon" ! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Historical Messier Marathon Results (based on Don Machholz's report in his Messier Marathon Observer's Guide) compiled by Hartmut Frommert * Tom Hoffelder in Florida logged 101 in "the mid-1970s" * Tom Reiland of Pittsburgh, PA logged 103 in 1977 * Don Machholz logged 107 (all but M74, M110, and M30) on the weekend of March 23-25, 1979, in San Jose, CA (in a SJAA event) * Tom Reiland logged 107 (all but M74, M77, and M30) "a few nights later" * Don Machholz and Gerry Rattley logged 108 (all but M74 and M33) on March 30/31, 1979. * Don Machholz logged 109 Messier objects (all but M30) on March 12/13, 1980. * Tom Reiland and Ken Wilson of Pittsburgh logged 109 objects (all but M30) on March 15/16, 1980. * Don Machholz and Ken Wilson of the SJAA logged 109 (all but M30) on March 15/16, 1980. * (drums !) Gerry Rattley logged all 110 Messier objects for the first time from Dugas, AZ, on March 23/24, 1985. 1993 Results * The 1993 All-Arizona Messier Marathon took place on March 20, 1993, under less favorable weather conditions. Paul Lind, in the first place, managed 94 objects with his 8-inch f/4.5 Newton, seven observers caught 50+. A.J. Crayon contributed the following detailed results Date: March 20, 1993 Site: Arizona City, AZ Weather: mostly cloudy num observer scope club award 94 Paul Lind 8"f4.5 N SAC, first place 82 Jim Stevens 10"unk N SAC, second place 75 Leon Knott 20"f4.0N EVAC, third place 64 Steve Conner 8"f6 N SAC, Certificate 50+ 64 AJ Crayon 8"f6 N SAC, Certificate 50+ 64 Matt DeMartino 8"f6 N SAC, Certificate 50+ 62 Tim Kenyon 10"f5.6N TAAA, Certificate 50+ 47 Joe Murray 8"f10SCT EVAC 34 Rob Nyberg 8"f10SCT TAAA 33 Bob Gardner 6"f4SN SAC 12 Mike Thompson 6"f8 N EVAC 1994 Results * The 1994 All-Arizona Messier Marathon was hold late for Marathon season: April 9, 1994. Weather conditions were good, and four observers bagged 107 objects, a total of ten 100+. A.J. Crayon Date: April 9, 1994 Site: Arizona City, AZ Weather: severely clear and a little breezy. Attendance: 30 scopes, 22 forms turned in. num observer scope club award 107 Manfred Alber 13.1f4.5N EVAC, first place 107 M. Leon Knott 25X100binos EVAC, first place 107 Frank Kraljic 8"f6N EVAC, first place 107 Don Wrigley 8"N EVAC, first place 106 Paul Dickson 8"f4.5N SAC/TAAA, second place 106 Bernie Sanden 12.5f5+ SAC, second place 104 Bob Gardner 10"N SAC, third place 101 Les Reese 4"Genesis TAAA, 100+ 101 Janna Scott 4"Genesis TAAA, 100+ 101 Stephen Alden 4"Genesis TAAA, 100+ 86 Glenn Nishimoto 8"SCT TAAA, Certificate 50+ 82 Hazel Lawler 17.5f4.5N TAAA, Certificate 50+ 78 Dean Corn 10"f5.4N SAC, Certificate 50+ 64 Mike Nakamura ? TAAA, Certificate 50+ 64 AJ Crayon 8"f6N SAC, Certificate 50+ 56 Doug Allen 10"Dob SAC, Certificate 50+ 54 Rob Nyberg 10X50/8"SCT TAAA, Certificate 50+ 50 Steve Conner 8"f6N SAC, Certificate 50+ 50 Matt DeMartino 8"f6N SAC, Certificate 50+ 50 Tony Marcotte 8"f6N SAC, Certificate 50+ 44 John Hicks 8"SCT SAC 24 Curt Taylor 7X35Binos SAC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------