Messier Marathon this Saturday

Anybody else going for a Messier Marathon this weekend ?

We have nominally clear skies here in N. California. My best count in a single night is about 70. I hope to make it to 90 this year ! I'll be using a pair of Vixen 25x125 bino's and an 8" dob.

I wish I could cheat like though, man thats some set of bino's.

Hello:
I gave it a shot last weekend, which turns out to be a good move since the weather forecast is not good here for the weekend. I used a 12.5" dob and got 108 targets, missing M52 at dusk and M30 at sunrise. It was partly cloudy at sunset, so I didn't seriously get started until it cleared off around 8pm. If it had been clear at sunset, I may have been able to get M52. There was clearly no chance at M30, and I think I'd have to wait a few weeks to have a good shot at it. Happy hunting.

Cheers
Mike Connelley
Hilo, Hawaii

I only got 70 items before I had to give up last night. I was blow drying my EP's every other minute. On the other hand I did see the absolute brightest meteorite I have ever seen, I estimate it was mag - 10 or -11 it was very bright. Similar color to Hyakutake with orange glowing sparks trailing it, of course this led to me missing M33 as I was dancing around the yard for a little bit while M33 went behind the trees. All in all it was a great night until me and the scope starting to succumb to the weather.