The Messier Project

[Stub Mandrel]

I know I'm not the first person to do this, but last year I started what i hope will eventually be a composite image of all the Messier objects - a great excuse to make sure I eventually catch them all. Naturally some of these are better than others, and I'm, sure a few (like the Pleiades) are hidden on my hard drive just under the wrong name or number!

Can I recommend this as a great challenge for anyone into astrophotography - especially a sit creates the need for a holiday nearer the equator to get a few of the objects! Using little thumbnails means no great demands on the scope or equipment so anyone with a DSLR that fits their scope can do it.

 

[wimvb]

Great effort, Neil.

I guess you keep us updated as you fill your checkerboard?

How far south does one have to travel to have a chance to catch them all? Messier was french, so I wonder if Olly would be able to see them all from his site?

BTW, I make small marks in my sky atlas whenever I spot/image an M object. Not quite as fancy as your system.

 

Good hunting!

[Gina]

Interesting idea   Maybe I'll be different and do the Caldwell catalogue   I do like to be different   There's others too, of course.

[Paul73]

Good challenge. Spotting them all is hard enough!

Good luck

Paul

[Stub Mandrel]

Well some diligent searching and I've found a few better images and nine more objects, now I'm on 36, although those in the 80s from Markarian's Chain are little more than blobs!

 

 

[wimvb]

"Blobs" count as well. But I wonder why you haven't got M81 and M82 in your list? these are certainly easier than many others in your list.

Cheers,

[Stub Mandrel]

18 minutes ago, wimvb said:

"Blobs" count as well. But I wonder why you haven't got M81 and M82 in your list? these are certainly easier than many others in your list.

Cheers,

Because I have had very limited opportunities to image in the area of the plough, it's only out of LP and trees in the spring - and you know how cloudy that was this year,  except for a brief period later in the year when it is partly visible between two trees.

[wimvb]

I understand the problem. If only there were calibration frames to delete trees ...

 

[laudropb]

Very nice project you have set yourself.

[Stub Mandrel]

Thanks, I think I need to revisit number 95 with HLVG though :-)

[RSM]

Like the idea - good luck with filling in the gaps.

[Stub Mandrel]

Well three years later and I'm only up to 60!

[glowingturnip]

keep going !

[glowingturnip]

I can see messier 7 through the bins from my deck in Spain, though it's a bit tree and pollution-dome limited for a proper pic - let me know if you want a cheat-shot !

[Fraunhoffer]

great idea. Well done. I've just been observing and ticking them off as i go this year with a few photos for the easier subjects. Love the thumbnails idea. Now ive worked out a bit how to take pictures i might do that next year. What did you use for the grid?

 

[Gina]

I might have a go at that later.  I have several already.

[alan potts]

Nice idea, M6 and M7 are going to be difficult, they are very low down even here, I got M55 earlier in the year but again this was below 20 degrees, so at best 10 or thereabouts for you.

Good Luck, Alan

[Stub Mandrel]

12 hours ago, Fraunhoffer said:

What did you use for the grid?

A 20 year old copy of Corel Draw!

3 hours ago, alan potts said:

Nice idea, M6 and M7 are going to be difficult,

You can see where my gaps are (I haven't done this 'analysis' before yesterday). Clearly there's an evening or two knocking off globular clusters in Ophiuchus!

Most of these are just a case of being aware of the gaps and hunting them down as their constellations move across my view.

All of those in Sagittarius and Scorpio will be a challenge from here due to LP and limited horizon. Those in the north are tricky due to tree dodging, but doable.

I've just found a few M95s:

 

[ShrewView]

This is looking brilliant. You've spurred me on.

I've been doing something similar but only got around 50 so far. 

Keep going you're getting close.

[don4l]

Excellent idea.

I've started a spreadsheet.

10 "man points" for using a 20 year old copy of Corel Draw.

[geoflewis]

Snap..!! I'ts a great project Neil and one that I've been working on for a few years. The low southern targets (particularly M6, M7, M54, M55, M69, M70) are a real challenge to image from my location, so whilst I believe I have seen most of them visually, I will have to travel south to image them.

I'm currently at 88/110, having ticked off a few globs and open clusters this summer when in previous years I was dedicated to planetary imaging.  I will try for more of the Coma/Virgo/Leo cluster galaxies next Spring, but it's difficult to get more than a few each season, due to UK weather and/or moonlight, so I suspect that it will be a few years yet before I have to make specific travel plans for those horizon hugging ones....

Good luck, Geof

[alan potts]

1 hour ago, Stub Mandrel said:

A 20 year old copy of Corel Draw!

You can see where my gaps are (I haven't done this 'analysis' before yesterday). Clearly there's an evening or two knocking off globular clusters in Ophiuchus!

Most of these are just a case of being aware of the gaps and hunting them down as their constellations move across my view.

All of those in Sagittarius and Scorpio will be a challenge from here due to LP and limited horizon. Those in the north are tricky due to tree dodging, but doable.

I've just found a few M95s:

 

Tree dodging, would you like the loan of a chainsaw.

Alan

[Mark at Beaufort]

That is a great project Neil and @geoflewis. Up until last month I had only observed M6 and M7 from Spain. I was on holiday on Hayling Island and easily saw these Messier objects in my 12x70 binos. So you can see them without leaving the UK.

The most difficult objects I found was M69 and M70 so in hindsight I wish I had taken my Heritage 130P last month.

[geoflewis]

34 minutes ago, Mark at Beaufort said:

That is a great project Neil and @geoflewis. Up until last month I had only observed M6 and M7 from Spain. I was on holiday on Hayling Island and easily saw these Messier objects in my 12x70 binos. So you can see them without leaving the UK.

The most difficult objects I found was M69 and M70 so in hindsight I wish I had taken my Heritage 130P last month.

Hi Mark,

Yes, I believe that they are all visible from the UK provided you have a clear southerly horizon. I saw them using my 15x70 binoculars from my previous home in Surrey, but the extra degree or so further north here in Norfolk takes them really low; M6 and M7 being ~2-3 degrees altitude at best. Unfortunately I have an obstruction up to about 10 degrees due south and whilst I can see down to about 4 degrees SE and SW my observatory wall prevents my scope seeing below about 8 degrees, which isn't usually an issue, but is for these few very low Messier targets. It's good to have challenges to solve though - life shouldn't be easy and this hobby certainly isn't....

Cheers, Geof

[jimjam11]

Agree its a great idea and I have been doing the same since last year, inspired by TAIC messier marathon video from 2018 

M7 has a projected altitude of -2deg from my location so I wont be getting that in this lifetime...