Friday, March 15, 2013 – 6:00pm to Saturday, March 16, 2013 6:00am.
First, some background. The Messier catalogue was compiled by French astronomer Charles Messier during the late 18th century and consists of 110 deep sky objects such as galaxies, nebulae, and star clusters. The best time to view all the Messier objects is mid-late March. A Messier Marathon is an attempt to find as many Messier objects as possible in a single night. THERE IS NO CHARGE FOR THIS EVENT
The marathon will be held only if the skies are clear and will be CANCELLED IF CLOUDY. Call 8433-8172 or check either the Facebook page or the website www.angelvalleybnb.com after 3:00 on the 15th for Go/No Go decision. ALTERNATE DATE March 16th
So, pull out your binoculars, telescopes, sky charts, lawn chairs and some warm clothing and join us at Angel Valley Bed and Breakfast for some Messier Madness!! While there is no charge for this event, due to limited parking and to help us plan, we ask that you RSVP by the 13th and arrive before dusk with enough time to set up any equipment you bring with you. Even red light can diminish the overall quality of a dark sky and limit viewing, so please be courteous of others viewing and use only red gel covered flashlights and only as necessary. We will have enough trouble with light as it is, so dark adaptation is crucial insofar as locating at least half of the Messier objects. That means we will have to be careful with our lights.
We will have Messier Object list available for participants and there will be a prize for the person with the largest number of objects observed. Logging will be star-hopping only. http://www.astrocentral.co.uk/starting.html
Pizza, hamburgers and soft drinks will be available for purchase and a post-Marathon breakfast at 6:00am ~ reservation only.
There will be a limited number of rooms available at Marathon rates for those interested in accommodations. For details please email reservations@angelvalleybnb.com
Dress warmly!. In particular, while you won’t freeze to death here in Costa Rica, however it does get uncomfortably cold here in the middle of the night.
To increase your chances of finding objects, you must plan, must plan, and must plan. Please take some time to review some of the marathon tips, log sheets and finder charts mentioned below.
Star Hopping :
http://www.astrocentral.co.uk/starting.html
http://www.robhawley.net/mm/SHG-MM-text-v6.pdf
Messier Marathon Tips:
http://www.maa.clell.de/Messier/E/Xtra/Marathon/mm-tips.html
Observing Window:
http://messier.seds.org/xtra/marathon/mm-win.html
Books:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Observing-Guide-Messier-Marathon/dp/0521803861
