Kwai slowly rolled over and lifted herself out of the warm car. Like a zombie in oversize Sorels, she trudged across the damp field to the telescope. "I can't make it out. Is it bedtime yet?"

I was feeling pretty zonked myself. The approaching dawn was putting an end to my hopes of spying out M 72 and 73. It was indeed bedtime. Ten hours earlier we had embarked on our first ever Messier Marathon!

We had planned it for quite some time and were treated to an almost perfectly clear night on March 25th. Kwai had just completed her Messier life list with 7x50 binoculars, and I thought it would be a good time to review those 110 clusters, nebulae and galaxies with a little more optical power. We decided to stick with a magnification of 20 on our 70 mm refractor. This would give a three-degree field for easy star hopping, yet enough image scale for good viewing. Although we used no finder, and only a video tripod as a mounting, things went pretty smoothly. I think the simplicity really helped.

Our venue was Oak Heights, and at dusk we set up on the observing hill. Roman was there too, eagerly awaiting a good, long night of astrophotography. The night was obviously going to be very chilly, and we were all bundled up before the end of twilight. Throughout the long vigil, Roman gave us excellent views of Messier fare through his CG-11. It was a real treat to compare the objects between the two very different telescopes.

We started right in with M 31, 32, 110, 33 and 77. M 74 was not visible. We worked easily through the bright winter clusters and nebulas, and soon made our way to the Virgo galaxy cluster. I had not explored this rich region with the refractor, and was looking forward to some galaxy surfing. Uranometria proved to be an effective navigation tool, and we took turns panning the scope around. Every field contained several galaxies at once ... very impressive. This year we may use a higher power, perhaps a 9 mm Nagler. The field would still be larger than three lunar diameters, but at 53 power these small galaxies would show better detail. I really like the idea of staying with one eyepiece throughout the Marathon. It's easier, but also it gives you a better idea of the relative appearance of all the objects.

By midnight we had started the long journey down the summer Milky Way. I know this region pretty well and it went quickly, with only occasional references to charts. The night was very dry and transparent, providing superb view along our star studded galaxy. I kept the dew zappers on the whole night, just in case.

We were feeling somewhat cold and tired at this late hour, so we jumped into the car to warm up and plan our assault on Sagittarius ... then we woke up! I don't even remember falling asleep. It was about 3 in the morning, and were we ever tired. One by one we knocked off the remaining objects in the deep south. Kwai had taken to snoozing while I hopped from object to object. I would wake her up every few minutes to plop her in front of the eyepiece. How do you like that for an automated observing system?

By the time I was looking for M 55, Roman was packing up. The sky was already brightening, with a waning crescent moon low in the southeast. Not only that, but some thin clouds were rolling in. Finally I acquired the right field and, breathing heavily, confirmed a faint glow in the right spot. I called Kwai over, but already the sky was too bright.

We were so very tired, but also elated at having spotted 106 Messier objects in one night! This year we'll try to get more sleep before we make the attempt. Also, it might be a good idea to nab M 72 and 73 before going on to M 55.

When speaking of Marathons, certain unwritten rules come to mind (the RASC does have them written down somewhere). Apparently, setting circles are not usually allowed and LX200s are definitely frowned upon. But I don't think we need to be so rigid in our thinking. For example, our Marathon was a team effort. I don't know what the rule book has to say about that. Finding 110 objects in a single night is a good test for any observing system we care to use. It can challenge CCD users and astrophotographers. It can help test your polar alignment and dialing skills (right Howard?). It can evaluate the effectiveness of automated slewing. More importantly, it can bring stargazers with very different interests together for an enjoyable night under the stars.

This spring Kwai and I will be tying to improve on our result. We are planning to hold the Marathon on the Oak Heights dark sky weekend nearest the first day of spring. Hope to see you there.