Okanagan Centre

This Year

Paul Markov (a member of Toronto's RASC Centre) maintains a Website listing the Messier Marathon scores for Canadian RASC members. You can review his site here.

Past Marathons

For 2001 reoccuring cloud cover on  the best weekend dates for the central Okanagan prevented most members from embarking on an actual Messier Maraton. Jim Failes and Ron Scherer traveled further south to a site east of Osoyoos and were rewarded with clear skies. To read their marathon report, click here

2000

2000 saw not one, not two, but as many as 5 Messier Marathons from March 30 - April 8. OC member Alan Whitman holds the record of 5 marathons, capturing a very impressive 105 out of 106 possible (for our latitude) on his final attempt of April 8/9.

The scheduled dates of April 1/2 were clouded out at the chosen site, reducing the number of participants for the Centre Marathon finally held on April 2/3 (a Sunday night). OC members Paul Ellard, Guy Mackie, Jim Fisher, Jim Failes, and Ron Scherer observed until 5 AM Monday - viewing through "sucker holes" the last few hours of the marathon. 'Messiers observed' scores just broke the 90's as a result. Fortunately the skies were very transparent (with a limiting magnitude better than 6.7) and offered a view of the galaxy Leo 1 in 12.5" and 10" Dobsonians. The April issue of FOCUS contained OC members reports of their Messier Marathon(s). Read about 2000 marathon reports here.

1999/98

While 1999 was the 3rd year the Okanagan Centre has tried a Messier Marathon, the first year  was clouded out and ended up being a non-event (With any luck 2000 will be the 3rd annual successful event). 7 members/guests made it out to the '99 event which was held on Friday March 19th. While the skies were not the equal of the 1998 Marathon (too much moisture as well as haze from slash burning), the 2 members who stayed till dawn were able to observe over 90 Messiers each. Highlights were: the Venus/Moon/Saturn configuration and pretty much anything at or near the Zenith! The 1999 Messier Marathon was held at one of the McCulloch Lake dam sites as excessive snow blocked the access to the TMR site

1998's event was well attended, with several members braving the entire night. The sweeping horizon offered by the TMR site allowed three of the diehards who remained to view over 100 Messiers each!