Messier Marathon: Alternative Evening Sequence

With the prime Messier marathon weekend for many Northern Hemisphere observers
just a week away, hopeful participants may intend to use this weekend to
practice the evening search sequence they'll use next week. Most recommended
sequences order the first dozen or so objects from the first to set to the
last. So, many marathoners go after M77 and M74 as their first targets.

An alternative approach is to observe the evening objects in the order they
emerge from the darkening twilight. Three years ago, I developed a list to
follow this strategy for the 2001 All-Arizona Messier Marathon. Here's the
list: http://members.aol.com/billferris/marathon2.html

Like all search sequences, mine has its plusses and minuses. The biggest plus
is that my approach allows you to start observing at least 15-minutes earlier
than the traditional approach. That additional time comes in handy when you get
to M74. There's no more worrying about spending too much time on M74. the next
objects are in Orion and Gemini, and won't set for for at least another hour.

The biggest minus or risk is that, if you take too much time to find the first
10 objects, you won't have much time to get to M74. So, my sequence may be
better suited to the observer who's observed the Messier objects, before, and
has a reasonable comfort level star-hopping.

If you've been frustrated in the past by the seeming eternity it takes M74 to
punch through the evening twilight, give my approach a shot. You may find you
like it.

Regards,

Bill Ferris
"Cosmic Voyage: The Online Resource for Amateur Astronomers"
URL: http://www.cosmic-voyage.net
=============
Email: Remove "ic" from .comic above to respond