Sky & Telescope - April 2019 - 29

Run

by Alan Whitman

A FAR NORTHERN MARATHON
Most Messier Marathon observing lists reﬂect conditions
in southern latitudes. The following tables incorporate the
experiences of members of the Okanagan Centre of the Royal
Astronomical Society of Canada at latitude 49° north. It also
groups binocular objects together.
Object

Constellation

Type

Mag(v)

Size/Sep.

RA

Dec.

Cet

G

8.9

7′ × 6′

02h 42.7m

-00° 01′

Follow these tips to get the most
out of a Messier Marathon run
from higher latitudes.

M77

Psc
G
9.4
10′ × 10′
01h 36.7m
COMMENT: Toughest evening object. Invisible by March 25th.

+15° 47′

A

M79

-24° 31′

new Moon falls on the night of April 4-5, 2019. This
is a perfect date to attempt a Messier Marathon from
latitude 49° north (or higher), even though it's considered too late in the year to get the best marathon results
from more southerly locations.
Much has been written about Messier Marathons undertaken from the latitude of southern Arizona, for which expert
observer Tom Polakis gives the observing window for catching all 110 Messiers as March 20-April 2. As he notes, the
northern limit for a full marathon is 40°N, with the optimal
latitude around 20°N. But many S&T readers live at even
higher latitudes, including those of us in the northern tier of
the United States, southern Canada, and Europe.
Can you complete the marathon from these locations?
On his ﬁfth marathon, well-known supernova hunter Paul
Gray scored 109 objects on the night of March 27-28, 2006,
from latitude 46.1°N in New Brunswick with his 12.5-inch
Dobsonian and 10×70 binoculars. He missed only M30. This
is a record for Canada, even though southernmost Ontario
is at latitude 42°N. Farther north, the maximum number of
Messiers that can be seen in one night decreases steadily.
I've done ten Messier Marathons from a superb site (I
drove hundreds of kilometers looking for the best possible
treeless western through southeastern horizons) at latitude
49°N on the British Columbia-Washington State border.
Now I drive up out of the apricot orchards in bloom to the
land of snow at 4,000 feet on a plateau called Anarchist
Mountain, east of the Okanagan Valley.
The best score possible from my location is 106 or possibly
107 Messiers in one night, but there are critically important
changes in the best observing order for the evening and
morning twilight objects from that used in the American
Southwest. At this latitude the globulars in far-southern
Sagittarius rise much later than they do in Arizona or even
in eastern Canada, and, worse yet, they rise on very shallow
ESA / HUBBLE / N ASA

MESSIER MARATHON

COMMENT:

M74

COMMENT:

M31
COMMENT:

M32
COMMENT:

M110
COMMENT:

M33
COMMENT:

M45
COMMENT:

M41
COMMENT:

M93
COMMENT:

M47
COMMENT:

M46

Lep

GC

7.7

10′

05h 24.2m

Last seen April 2nd, may be visible a few nights longer
And

G

3.4

178′ × 63′

00h 42.7m

+41° 16′

8′ × 6′

00h 42.7m

+40° 52′

17′ × 10′

00h 40.4m

+41° 41′

01h 33.9m

+30° 39′

Same ﬁeld of view as M32, M110
And

G

8.1

Same ﬁeld of view as M31, M110
And

G

8.5

Seen through thin cirrus on April 8th.
Tri

G

5.7

73′ × 45′

Binoculars reveal when scopes fail. Requires transparent sky.
Tau

OC

1.6

110′

03h 47.0m

+24° 07′

OC

4.5

38′

06h 46.0m

-20° 44′

OC

6.2

22′

07h 44.6m

-23° 52′

OC

4.4

30′

07h 36.6m

-14° 30′

OC

6.1

27′

07h 41.8m

-14° 49′

OC

5.9

16′

07h 02.8m

-08° 20′

EN

4.0

85′ × 60′

05h 35.4m

-05° 27′

9.0

20′ × 15′

05h

35.6m

-05° 16′

8.0

8′ × 6′

05h

46.7m

+00° 06′

8.4

6′ × 4′

05h 34.5m

+22° 01′

10.1

3′ × 2′

01h

42.4m

+51° 34′

6′

01h

33.2m

+60° 42′

5.8

54′

08h

13.8m

-05° 48′

3.1

95′

08h 40.1m

+19° 59′

Naked eye
CMa

Naked eye or binoculars
Pup
Binoculars
Pup

Naked eye or binoculars
Pup

COMMENT: Binoculars

M50
COMMENT:

M42
M43
M78
COMMENT:

M1
M76
M103
M48

t A BRILLIANT END If you're observing from more northerly latitudes,
the globular cluster M69 in Sagittarius could be the final object of your
marathon. You'll be fighting the morning twilight, so look quickly to beat
the coming Sun!

Invisible by March 30th

COMMENT:

M44
COMMENT:

Mon
Binoculars
Ori
Ori
Ori

EN
RN

Requires clear sky
Tau
Per
Cas
Hya

SNR
PN
OC
OC

7.4

Naked eye or binoculars
Cnc

OC

Naked eye

sk yandtele scope.com * A PR I L 2 019

29
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Sky & Telescope - April 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Sky & Telescope - April 2019
