The 2004 Messier Marathon

Deep-sky seekers defy encroaching clouds

The first RBAC Messier Marathon was held March 19, 2004, at the Greenville College Observatory. Our members had a chaperone for the night: James Sherrill, a teaching assistant for Greenville’s astronomy course. James opened the observatory, kept an eye on things, and shared his considerable enthusiasm for astronomy. James is out nearly every Thursday evening observing with Greenville students.

The other living creature in attendance was the observatory mouse that scurried under red light all night.

It didn’t take long for the marathoners to realize they are better suited to sprints than marathons. They started out strong, but soon decided it is more fun to share favorite objects, visit with friends, and look through other telescopes — the perfect way to spend an evening.

"I didn’t try to complete the Messier Marathon," recalls RBAC member Deb Wagner. "I didn’t attempt to locate any new objects. Instead, like everyone in attendance, I spent most of the evening sharing my favorite objects and visiting with the group. The marathon didn’t materialize, but the evening was a total success."

RBAC would like to thank the college for use of the observatory, James Sherrill for his help and encouragement, and even the mouse — it cleaned up our cookie crumbs.

Visit the Greenville College web site

Artillery practice? No, it’s Jace Perham, aiming his super-size telescope at the heavens as he prepares for an evening of deep-sky observing at the Messier Marathon, which was held at Greenville College Observatory. By the way, nice shoes, Jace.

When the first wave of clouds cleared, out came Jamie Goggin’s Discovery telescope, as the group continued to look for Messier objects and watch for meteors while socializing through the night.

Greenville College Observatory is outstanding in its field, so to speak — the better to hide from the harsh effects of city lights. This pastoral setting invites stargazing along with other contemplation of the natural world.

Gary Kronk, top, and Jace Perham aligned the Parks telescope to image Venus and, later, Jupiter.

The beefy Parks telescope, perched atop its sturdy mounting beneath the Greenville College Observatory's big roll-off roof.

JUPITER imaged using the Parks telescope at Greenville College Observatory.

"The Messier Marathon event was exactly what I’m looking for in this club — the proper mix of observing, learning and socializing. For me, M101 and Jupiter were the evening’s highlights."
— Jamie Goggin, Messier Marathon Coordinator