Hello SFAAer's. Yes,
once again Charles Messier will make his apparition
on Mt. Tam for the Marathon!
The
Conditions are:
There
must be no perception of
camping at the Rock Springs Parking
area. Only
telescopes, equipment,
stools and observing chairs are permitted
on the ground. No
cots or bedding.
Should you
need to rest please, do so in your vehicle. Only
current dues paying SFAA
members are allowed. A 1:1 ratio is
required for children; and they must be accompanied by
their parent.
Our
Superintendent of Mt.
Tamalpias State Park, Laura Wong reminds us that should this
privilege be abused, our
SUP's shall be revoked. Our
point of contact for
Saturday evening will be the Ranger on duty.
Make sure your California State Park SUP permit placards are placed visible on the dash of your
vehicle. If you need it updated or don't have one, be sure to see Dave Wilton.
Please arrive well before sunset, so you'll be
ready, relaxed,
set up and not
disturbing other fellow M object hunters with your headlights.
Here's
hoping you'll be able to
say like the plaque on the Dobsonian
telescope Edelweiss, at Hume Observatory in Santa Rosa "I seen M all"
Here are some Peninsula Astronomical Socierty(PAS) tips on your first
Messier Marathon.
From the Hawaiian Astronomical Society, here's Jay Wrathall's Messier Objects list.
Some great finder
charts from Stephen Tonkin. I
attended and volunteered at the AstroCon, back in 2004. That's
where I met Don Machholz at his Messier Marathon Lunch Talk. This year, Don will be doing his personal Messier Marathon in his backyard in the Sierra foothills.
Here are two charts scanned from his lecture. Sorry for the poor reproduction, but you'll get the idea. The first chart is suggested dates. The second is his preferred search sequence.
There is more information on the SEDS 2010 Marathon page. See you in the dark,
