Messier Marathon Eternal Hall of Fame

Here we list all reported Messier Marathon results with full success of 110 observed Messier objects.

March 23/24, 1985: Gerry Rattley from Dugas, Arizona (10" f/5.7 N; during 1985 Saguaro Astronomy Club Messier Marathon)
March 23/24, 1985, about one hour later: Rick Hull from Anza, California (10" f/20 Cas)
March 19/20, 1988: Charlotte Amat. Ast., Union Co, North Carolina
March 19/20, 1988, hours later: David Goldwater and Martin Puskas, Palmdale, California
March 16/17, 1996: David Fredericksen from south of Arizona City, Arizona (1996 All Arizona Messier Marathon)
March 27/28, 1998: Robert Davidson from Arizona City, Arizona (see report)
March 19/20, 1999: Russell F. Pinizzotto from the Andromeda Galaxy Observatory in Fort Davis, Texas (see report and featured article)
March 22/23, 2001: Kirk Alexander and Jack Gelfand of Princeton, New Jersey from Chiricahua National Monument near Wilcox, Arizona (see report)
March 23/24, 2001: Bill Ferris, being a day early and practising for the 2001 All Arizona Messier Marathon, from the Arizona City site. See report.
March 24/25, 2001: During the most successful Messier Marathon event to date, 25 participants of the 2001 All Arizona Messier Marathon found all 110 Messier objects (instruments given in braces): Kirk Alexander (16" N), Brent Archinal (11X80 binos!), Jim & Delia Brix (16"DOB), Andrew Cooper (6" f5.1 Newt), AJ Crayon (14.5" f5.2 DOB), Marshall Dailey (5" MakCass), Bob & Pat Davidson (8" f6 DOB), Steve & Rosie Dodder (8" SCT), John Evelan (20" f4 DOB), Bill Ferris (10" f4.5; also saw all 110 the day before!), David Fredericksen (12" f6 DOB), Jack Gelfand (16" N), Joe Goss (10" SCT), Jack Jones (14.5" f5 Newt), Harold Judson ((9.25" SCT), Dean Ketelsen (11.25" Newt), Frank Kraljic (10" f5.4 DOB), Derrick (Lim (8" f4 Newt), Tom Polakis (10" DOB), Ken Reeves (20" f5 DOB), Thad Robosson (8" f6 Newt), Sam Rua (20" f5 DOB), Ken Schmidt (14.5" f4.3 DOB), Doug Smith (8" SCT), Matt Spinelli (8" SCT). Note: This was the second full success for David Fredericksen (after 1996), Bob Davidson (after 1998), and Kirk Alexander, Jack Gelfand and Bill Ferris (2 successes in 2001).
March 26/27, 2001: Don Machholz near Joshua Tree, CA (6" Newt).
March 9/10, 2003: Swapneel Kore and Girish Vaze from Mumbai, India (13"; see report)
March 29/30, 2003: During the 2003 All Arizona Messier Marathon, 14 observers achieved the goal of observing all 110 Messier objects in one night: Chuck Akers (17.5" Dob), James & Delix Brix (16" Dob), Jim & Robin Cassidy (NestStar 11), Bob & Pat Davidson (8" Dob), Hinrich Eylers (NextStar 11), David Fredericksen (NextStar 11), Jim Gutman (NextStar 11), Howard Israel (NX 11), Doug Lang (4" ED ref), Brian Page (9.25" SCT), Tom Polakis (10" DOB), Thad Robosson (15" f/5 DOB), Dawn Schur (8" f/5 DOB), David Shafer (LX 200). Note: Dawn Schur was the first lady to succeed in finding all 110 on her own. Third successes for Bob Davidson and David Fredericksen.
April 1/2, 2003: George Gilbart-Smith, assisted by John Harris, Ian Braithwaite and Bev Ewen-Smith at the COAA Algarve Observatory, Portugal.
April 1/2, 2003: Paul B. Jones at the Winston-Salem Astronomical League event near Fancy Gap, Viriginia (8" SCT).
March 19/20, 2004: Paul Clark of Manchester, England from Mt. Tiede, Canary Island with a 10" Dobsonian (see report).
March 24/25, 2004: Don Machholz found all 110 Messier objects from memory only from Red Cloud Rd. near Joshua Tree Park in southern California, using a 6-inch reflector - saw all 9 planets same night! Congratulations!
March 23/24, 2006: Don Machholz found all 110 Messier objects, once more from memory only, from Red Cloud Rd. near Joshua Tree Park in southern California, using a 6-inch (15cm) f/8 reflector (see report).
March 24/25, 2006: Paul Clark run his second successful 110 object Messier Marathon from 2000m on the slopes of Mt. Tiede, Tenerife, Canary Islands, using a 60mm Borg refractor (see report).
March 24/25, 2006: Don Machholz found all 110 Messier objects, again from memory only, from Arizona City, Arizona (the All Arizona Messier Marathon site), using his 6-inch (15cm) f/8 reflector (see report).
2006: During the NEFAS 2006 Messier Marathon, three observers successfully achieved the full score of 110 Messier Objects: Dennis O'Day, Dave Crum, Mike Rosset, Lela Rosset, and Mike Ramirez who did it from memory!
March 17/18, 2007: During the NEFAS 2007 Messier Marathon, four observers sucessfully hunted down all 110 Messier Objects: Dennis O'Day, Dave Crum, Mike Rosset, and Leila Rosset.
March 17/18, 2007: Frank Pino found all 110 Messier objects during the 2007 All Arizona Messier Marathon event, from the Arizona City site, using a Celestron CPC 1100 SCT.
March 19/20, 2007: Jon Zander hunted down all 110 Messier Objects from the Mid Hills campground in the Mojave National Preserve, CA at 35:07:52.84 N, 115:26:07.67 W, using a Meade 12.5" f/4.8 Starfinder Dobsonian telescope (see report).

Honorable mention: Observers who logged all 109 objects they looked for, excluding controverse M 102 (the others accept or take NGC 5866 as M102, in agreement with a proposition of Don Machholz and others, and still somewhat disputable historical evidence):

March 20/21, 1993: Amateurs led by Paul Money from COAA, Algarve, Portugal
March 29/30, 1998: Mark Dunnett, Paul Money and Stephen Tonkin from COAA, Algarve, Portugal
March 17/18, 2007: Joe Cambala from Fakahatchee Strand State Park, Florida, using a 15" f/5 Dobsonian

Please notify me of any further full-score marathon sessions! Also report any omissions and errors ..

Messier Marathon Observer's Results

How to obtain above certificate

Messier Marathon Home

Hartmut Frommert
Christine Kronberg
[contact]

Last Modification: June 5, 2007