Messier Marathon Dates

Given below are the best dates for Messier Marathons for the upcoming future years up to 2050. This table is based on data from Don Machholz' Messier Marathon Observer's Guide. Besides the Messier objects, you may also see planets these weekends, and we indicate which are difficult (D) or impossible (I), where Mercury=1, Pluto=9; all others should be quite easy. Note that due to their positions in orbit the far and thus "slow" outer planets behave as follows: Pluto is always located so that it is visible in March/April during the years covered here, while Uranus has become critical in 2002 and impossible between 2007 and 2018, Neptune will become critical in 2010 and impossible some years later (Machholz' data are not exactly conclusive here, in the opinion of the present author), while Saturn will come into comfortable observing location in 1999 and stay there throughout the time covered here. The planets up to Jupiter change their positions faster so that you are pointed to the table below.

Year  New Moon[s]          Primary Weekend      Secondary Weekend

2007  Mar 19.1             Mar 17 (I: 7,8)
2008  Mar 07.7, Apr 06.2   Mar 08 (I: 7)        Mar 29 (I: 7)
2009  Mar 26.7             Mar 28 (I: 7,1,2)

2010  Mar 15.9             Mar 13 (I: 7,5,1,8)  Mar 20 (I: 7,1,5)
2011  Mar 04.9, Apr 03.6   Mar 05 (I: 7,8,1,5)  Apr 02 (I: 7,5,4)
2012  Mar 22.6             Mar 24 (I: 7,8,1)
2013  Mar 11.8             Mar 09 (I: 7,8,4,2)  Mar 16 (I: 7,4,2)
2014  Mar 01.0, Mar 30.8   Mar 29 (I: 7)

2015  Mar 20.4             Mar 21 (I: 7,8,4)
2016  Mar 09.1, Apr 07.5   Mar 12 (I: 7,8)      Apr 05 (I: 7,1)
2017  Mar 28.1             Mar 25 (I: 7,8,2)    Apr 01 (I: 7,8,1)
2018  Mar 17.5             Mar 17 (I: 8,7)
2019  Mar 06.7, Apr 05.4   Mar 30 (I: 8)        Mar 09 (I: 8,7)

2020  Mar 24.4             Mar 21               Mar 28
2021  Mar 13.4             Mar 13
2022  Mar 02.7, Apr 01.3   Apr 02               Mar 05
2023  Mar 21.7             Mar 18               Mar 25
2024  Mar 10.4             Mar 09

2025  Mar 29.5             Mar 22               Mar 29
2026  Mar 19.1             Mar 21               Mar 14
2027  Mar 08.4, Apr 07.0   Apr 03               Mar 06
2028  Mar 26.2             Mar 25
2029  Mar 15.2             Mar 17               Mar 10

2030  Mar 04.3, Apr 02.9   Mar 30               Mar 09
2031  Mar 23.2             Mar 22
2032  Mar 11.7             Mar 13               Mar 06
2033  Mar 30.7             Mar 27               Apr 02
2034  Mar 20.4             Mar 18               Mar 25

2035  Mar 10.0             Mar 10   
2036  Mar 27.9             Mar 29               Mar 22
2037  Mar 17.0             Mar 14               Mar 21
2038  Mar 06.0, Apr 04.7   Apr 03               Mar 06
2039  Mar 24.8             Mar 26               Mar 19

2040  Mar 13.1             Mar 10               Mar 17
2041  Mar 02.6, Apr 01.0   Mar 30               Mar 02
2042  Mar 21.7             Mar 22
2043  Mar 11.3             Mar 14               Mar 07
2044  Mar 29.4             Mar 26               Apr 03

2045  Mar 18.7             Mar 18
2046  Mar 07.8, Apr 06.4   Mar 10               Mar 03
2047  Mar 26.5             Mar 23               Mar 30
2048  Mar 14.6             Mar 14
2049  Mar  4.0, Apr 02.5   Mar 06               Apr 03

2050  Mar 23.5             Mar 19               Mar 26

The MAA Moonphases Calendar was of great help for compiling this list (getting New Moon times after 2019). Unix/Solaris calendar helped to determine the weekends.

Planetary visibilities will be added for the time after 2020.

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Hartmut Frommert
Christine Kronberg
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Last Modification: April 27, 2006