Forward from SJAA announce list:
Bob Havner wrote:
San Jose Astronomical Association
2002 Messier Marathon
The San Jose Astronomical Association will be hosting the 2002 Messier
Marathon on March 16th at Henry Coe State Park. The Messier Marathon as
an attempt to find all 110 Messier objects in one night! The French
comet hunter Charles Messier created the catalog to identify objects
that could be mistaken for comets. Today’s list represents the most
famous deep sky objects in the night sky. While being a favorite goal of
amateur astronomers to complete over time, late March offers an
opportunity to see all the Messier objects in a single night.
The 2002 Messier Marathon will be held at the overflow parking area at
Henry Coe. Directions can be found at
<http://www.sjaa.net/directions.html. Although not required, we
recommend pairing up with a partner as a way of verifying observations.
Observing lists will be available at the site. There are many resources
available to aid in a successful marathon I would recommend the SEDS
Messier page <http://www.seds.org/messier/Messier.html and
<http://www.seds.org/messier/xtra/marathon/marathon.html as a good
starting point. They have many helpful links to images and lists.
This is a great time for those that are new to astronomy to be
introduced to the deep sky. Don’t expect to get them all if this is you
first time, just have a good time and enjoy the ones you do find. You
will get a good start on completing your own Messier list. As always,
come prepared for cold weather; bring plenty of warm clothing and hot
drinks.
Come out to Henry Coe with us for a night of astronomy and start (or
perhaps finish) your Messier list.
Sunset: 18:16 Astronomical Twilight 19:43 Moonset 20:52 Moon Phase 8%
Messier Marathon Henry Coe State Park March 16, 2002 There is a $2.00
per vehicle night use fee.
Bob Havner
San Jose Astronomical Association
bhavner@No-Spam