From: Stephen Waldee
Newsgroups: sci.astro.amateur
Subject: Re: Messier challenges
Date: 28 Oct 1996 23:48:54 GMT

Never one to resist a chance to make a complete AstroFool of myself, here 
is the TOP TEN LIST of Messier Challenges...

No. 10  Write an Essay on Why There Are Either 102, 109, or 110
        Messier Objects (ball-point only);

No.  9  Observe All the Messier Objects Without Using A Single Page
        of Don Machholz's book;

No.  8  Translate Messier's Catalog into English, Avoiding A Single
        Repetition of Terms Used By Owen Gingerich;

No.  7  Observe M-30 Without Waiting Until 4 o'Clock In the Morning;

No.  6  Provide A New Listing Of Modern Nicknames For All Messier
        Objects (M-42: 3 Words: Hillary's Latest Hairdo);

No.  5  Enter The "I Observed All 110 Messier Objects From Manhattan"
        Marathon;

No.  4  Enter The "I Think Messier No. 'XX' Is The Most Interesting 
        Object" Contest (my entry: M-40);

No.  3  Observe All 110 Messier Objects With The Hubble Telescope.
        Give A Talk About It At Your Amateur Astronomy Club.

No.  2  Observe The Messier Objects With Meade And Celestron
        Telescopes Side By Side, And Don't Make ANY Comments About
        Differences Of Optical Quality.  Receive The Nobel Peace
        Prize.

 ---  and (drumroll) --

MESSIER CHALLENGE No. 1:

         4 Words:  Down With Louis XV!


...
Steve Waldee