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October Marathon

Discussion in 'Observing Celestial Objects' started by Orion25, Oct 17, 2022.

October Marathon

Started by Orion25 on Oct 17, 2022 at 6:15 AM

6 Replies 823 Views 2 Likes

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  1. Orion25

    Orion25 Well-Known Member

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    Orion25, Oct 17, 2022
    #1
    Ever since I was a teenager I enjoyed creating my own annual celestial object marathons. Instead of just sticking to the standards, like the Messier Marathon, I would create my own marathons to see how many celestial objects I could leisurely see in a given month or season, including galaxies, open star clusters, globulars, nebulae, asterisms, multiple star systems, what have you. I recently set a new October Marathon with my 6" reflector Saturday evening into Sunday morning with:

    M22 (Sagittarius cluster, resolves beautifully the longer you gaze at it), M28, Lagoon Nebula region, Trifid Nebula region, Swan Nebula region, Omega Nebula region, M13 (Hercules), M92, Mizar/Alcor double, M31 (Andromeda Galaxy), M57 (Ring Nebula), Epsilon Lyrae (double-double), Albireo (blue-gold double), Coathanger asterism, NGC 6633, Perseus double cluster, Sadr region (Milky Way in Cygnus).

    Then, after midnight:
    Pleiades, Hyades, M42 (Orion Nebula), M35 (Gemini), M36/37/38 (Auriga), Cheshire Cat asterism, the waning gibbous moon

    To add, I observed Saturn (awesome detail, great seeing), Jupiter (very bright which softened detail), Mars (soft detail, I could just make out the NPH and a hint of dark albedo, the wind storm slowly winding down), and Uranus (soft blue-green disc) using my Orion 9mm Expanse EP and Celestron 2x Barlow.

    On a surprising note, I was able to split the extremely tight double-double Epsilon Lyrae with my REFLECTOR which I did not expect due to diffraction spikes caused by the secondary. But, it is possible with the 9mm/Barlow combination! Hooray!

    So, the planets and moon notwithstanding, I've set a new October marathon for myself, starting in early evening and ending at pre-dawn the following morning.

    It was also nice to be able to see some constellations from all four seasons in one fell swoop, from the Summer Triangle at evening dusk to Leo, the Lion at dawn - and the nights are getting longer!

    Clear skies!
    Reggie :D
     
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  2. Mak the Night

    Mak the Night Well-Known Member

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    Mak the Night, Oct 18, 2022
    #2
    Congratulations. That sounded like a great marathon Reggie. I've had long sessions in the past.

    m.jpg

    It definitely deserves congratulatory confectionery !
     
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  3. Orion25

    Orion25 Well-Known Member

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    Orion25, Oct 18, 2022
    #3
    Love it! Thanks, Dave! :D
     
  4. Mak the Night

    Mak the Night Well-Known Member

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    Mak the Night, Oct 18, 2022
    #4
    You're welcome, enjoy. Although technically it's actually just a renamed Snickers bar. They were known as Marathon bars for a long time in Britain.
     
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  5. Nebula

    Nebula Well-Known Member

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    Nebula, Oct 19, 2022
    #5
    @Orion25 thanks for sharing your observation and the content of your marathon it's giving me motivation at the same time, after an observation I also feel the need to share it because it was an incredible experience.

    You have great objects in jour list, M22, the Sagittarius cluster is a favorite of mine also, it's huge!! Need to look at it again before it's too late.

    I'll add Uranus and Neptune for my next observation, these are challenging targets and it's been a while since my last observation of these to planets, Uranus is about the only object where I feel a strong need to use my 2x barlow!

    Usually a Uranus and Neptune observation is an opportunity to add Vesta and Juno asteroids! They are all close together.
     
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  6. Orion25

    Orion25 Well-Known Member

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    Orion25, Oct 19, 2022
    #6
    I'm glad my report is motivational! Yes, catch M22 before it sinks too low and gets lost in the evening twilight. I love watching it resolve into millions of stars. There is so much to see this time of year with the summer stars still visible in the early evening and the winter stars emerging around midnight and into dawn.
     
  7. Nebula

    Nebula Well-Known Member

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    Nebula, Oct 21, 2022
    #7
    It's time for astronomy @Orion25 right now, getting ready for a trip at at darker spot then home.

    I want to look at the heart nebula again, really make it about nebulae tonight with my 12" mirror, my 34mm 68d eyepiece and my NPB 2" filter. It's going to be a Nebulae marathon for me tonight.

    M22 is already too low according to Stellarium )); shame.

    I have a lot of preparation to do now!

    It's time for a Coffee, I only drink it before astronomy, the effect is super strong and last a very long time without contaminating my whole body for an extended period of time!
     
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