Messier Marathon

What is it?
A Messier Marathon is when one person with a telescope attempts to observe all 110 Messier objects over the course of one night.

When is it?
Messier Marathons typically take place from mid-March to early April on nights near the new Moon. This is when it is possible to see all 110 objects from middle to lower northern latitudes. Partial Marathons (where parts of the Messier Catalog are observed) can occur at any time of year.

Where is it?
Messier Marathons can be accomplished by individuals in their favortie dark-sky location. Local astronomy clubs host organized events for serious telescope enthusiasts at dark-sky locations.

Preparing for it.

Like all marathons, there is training involved to prepare for a Messier Marathon. Click below for a Messier Object List prepared by our own Wes Covalt. Head out on any clear night and try to find as many of the objects as you can. For the Marathon night, you will have to be fast to catch the first bunch of Messier Objects before they set in the west.

Who was Messier?

Charles Messier was a French Astronomer (1730 - 1817) who was inspired by comets. He observed his first comet when he was 14 years old - the great six-tailed comet of 1744. He wanted to discover and name comets.

Halley's Comet was expected to be visible in 1758. Messier started looking for Halley's Comet in 1757. He started a list of "fuzzy objects" that at first looked comet-like but moved with the background of stars. These objects turned out to be galaxies, nebulae, and star clusters and his list became the Messier Catalog. While looking for Halley's Comet, he observed what would later be called M32 - a neighbor of the Andromeda Galaxy.

Messier's associates of the time called him the "comet ferret". He discovered lots of them - 20 all together. He is credited with being the original discoverer of 13 of these comets. Messier first published his catalog in 1769 with 45 entries. The Messier Catalog contained 103 official entries when he died, though he had handwritten in M104. The final six were added after his death based on his own observations and those of his close friend and colleague, Pierre Méchain (M104 - M109).