Messier Marathon time

[kochu]

Hi all,

Time for Messier Marathon.

http://www.universetoday.com/84462/fanc ... s-weekend/.

Kochu/29-3-11

[Airconvent]

Reminds me of Matthew and you. You 2 are long overdue to start on your new photo project. Any news if you are starting soon?:)

[Canopus Lim]

Ok..I attempted to do the Messier with binoculars..

Location: Somewhere in the middle east desert..
Limiting Magnitude: 5.5 (1st night), 6.3 (2nd night)
Latitude: ~ 30 deg N
Equipment: 10x50 FMTR-SX Fuji

Looking at star clusters and globs are very easy at this location and with this bino. Therefore, I spent most of the time looking at galaxies which is more challenging. I could have seen more but some were too low in the horizon and hampered by local light pollution (east direction) from the town that I was staying at. The other factor that limited me from seeing others was that it was freezing cold and I could only observe for about 1.5h before I started shivering!

Interestingly I could see some galaxies that are only visible to 80mm binoculars. Probably it is due to the sky condition, equipment and experience.

Open clusters: 35, 36, 37, 38, 50, 44 beehive, 67, 46, 47, 48, 49, 93, 41
Globular clusters: 3, 13, 53, 92
Galaxies (at Ursa Major, Leo, Virgo): 65, 51 whirlpool, 104 Sombero, 101 Pinwheel, 64 Blackeye, 63 Sunflower, 60, 49, 94, 106, 100 (pretty vague), 95, 96, 59, 84, 86, 81 Bode's , 82 Cigar

Others: NGC3115 Spindle Galaxy (easy to see), 4 meteors including 1 that broke up in flight.

Total 35 objects within 1.5h window.

[rlow]

We observed NGC3115 Spindle Galaxy last evening through the 11" dob at Sedili B. Using a 10x42 bino, we managed to detect it using direct vision, but just barely, partly due to the reduced contrast hampered by the crescent Moon. It is quite a challenging target for binos here.

[Canopus Lim]

All the galaxies were direct vision on the 6.3 night; that night was more transparent and did not have high altitude clouds and haze. I find M100 hardest to see and had to jiggle the binoculars to make sure it is really the galaxy and not some brighter patch in the sky. Others were alright and can be located once the position of the galaxy is known. Some of them like 60, 81, 82, 51, 63, 64, 104 etc were easy. There was no need to use averted vision and they were not at the threshold of detection. I would think if I could get more dark adapted throughout the night (not possible because of the cold), it would have been easier. Few months back at the same location, Orion Nebula was blinding after hours of dark adaptation and interestingly I felt the stars and constellations were like right in my face! It was pretty interesting since I hardly ever use binoculars to locate galaxies. All the while have been observing galaxies through telescopes only.

[fizzy123]

While on the topic of Messier Marathon, has any Singastronian personally finished watching all of them within a night using their own eqpt and acting within their individual capacity. e.g. using non-goto scopes and searching for all of them without any assistance or help?

Perhaps one day we can also have a Messier Catalogue Singastro style. Just like the Caldwell Catalogue published by Patrick Moore. Allows newbie to have a good idea of wad to see and obs under SG's light polluted skies

[jiahao1986]

While on the topic of Messier Marathon, has any Singastronian personally finished watching all of them within a night using their own eqpt and acting within their individual capacity. e.g. using non-goto scopes and searching for all of them without any assistance or help?

In one Punggai trip in Mar. 2009 I managed to hunt down 95 M objects in one night with an 10" dob. If only there were no constant fast moving scattered clouds, otherwise the result could've been betteer...