Messier 2026 – Event Page

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• SSCO Weather Forecast from Astropheric…

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We’ll be tracking the progress of the objects viewed and imaged. Here’s a downloadable Messier Marathon Checklist if you wish to follow along. We will update our list below with viewing details during the event. Objects are listed in the order they are most efficiently observed. Based on a sequence devised by Don Macholz, with a few minor adjustments for more northern observing.

• 3/18, SSCO observatory with ZWO Seestar S50 (tkt) – The evening started out quite cloudy, then socked in, shutting down imaging for a bit, Around 10:30pm the clouds dissipated and seeing cleared up. This put us a bit behind and played catch-up the rest of the night. Total count: 104 for Todd and Will Feral!

I. Early Evening Objects. Gotta start quick after sundown…

Messier	Constellation	Type	Rating	Viewed/Imaged
M74	Pisces	Galaxy	Difficult	tkt,
M77	Cetus	Galaxy	Difficult	tkt,
M33	Triangulum	Galaxy	Difficult	tkt,
M31	Andromeda	Galaxy	Easy	tkt,
M32	Andromeda	Galaxy	Difficult
M110	Andromeda	Galaxy	Difficult	tkt,
M52	Cassiopeia	Open Cluster	Moderate
M103	Cassiopeia	Open Cluster	Moderate	tkt,
M76	Perseus	Planetary Nebula	Moderate	tkt,
M34	Perseus	Open Cluster	Easy	tkt,
M45	Taurus	Open Cluster	Easy	tkt,
M79	Lepus	Globular Cluster	Moderate
M42	Orion	Diffuse Nebula	Easy	tkt,
M43	Orion	Diffuse Nebula	Easy	tkt,
M78	Orion	Diffuse Nebula	Moderate	tkt,
M1	Taurus	Supernova Remnant	Difficult	tkt,
M35	Gemini	Open Cluster	Easy	tkt,
M37	Auriga	Open Cluster	Moderate	tkt,
M36	Auriga	Open Cluster	Moderate	tkt,
M38	Auriga	Open Cluster	Moderate	tkt,
M41	Canis Major	Open Cluster	Easy	tkt,
M93	Puppis	Open Cluster	Moderate	tkt,
M47	Puppis	Open Cluster	Moderate	tkt,
M46	Puppis	Open Cluster	Moderate	tkt,
M50	Monoceros	Open Cluster	Moderate	tkt,
M48	Hydra	Open Cluster	Moderate	tkt,
M44	Cancer	Open Cluster	Easy	tkt,
M67	Cancer	Open Cluster	Moderate	tkt,

II. Leo, the Big Dipper Region and a few to the south, late evening…

Messier	Constellation	Type	Rating	Viewed/Imaged
M95	Leo	Galaxy	Difficult	tkt,
M96	Leo	Galaxy	Difficult	tkt,
M105	Leo	Galaxy	Difficult	tkt,
M65	Leo	Galaxy	Difficult	tkt,
M66	Leo	Galaxy	Difficult	tkt,
M81	Ursa Major	Galaxy	Moderate	tkt,
M82	Ursa Major	Galaxy	Moderate	tkt,
M97	Ursa Major	Planetary Nebula	Difficult	tkt,
M108	Ursa Major	Galaxy	Difficult	tkt,
M109	Ursa Major	Galaxy	Difficult	tkt,
M40	Ursa Major	Double Star	Difficult	tkt,
M106	Canes Venatici	Galaxy	Moderate	tkt,
M94	Canes Venatici	Galaxy	Moderate	tkt,
M63	Canes Venatici	Galaxy	Moderate	tkt,
M51	Canes Venatici	Galaxy	Moderate	tkt,
M101	Ursa Major	Galaxy	Moderate	tkt,
M102	Draco	Galaxy	Difficult	tkt,
M53	Coma Berenices	Globular Cluster	Moderate	tkt,
M64	Coma Berenices	Galaxy	Moderate	tkt,
M3	Canes Venatici	Globular Cluster	Moderate	tkt,

III. Virgo Cluster Region, galaxy’s galore…

Messier	Constellation	Type	Rating	Viewed/Imaged
M98	Coma Berenices	Galaxy	Moderate	tkt,
M99	Coma Berenices	Galaxy	Moderate	tkt,
M100	Coma Berenices	Galaxy	Moderate	tkt,
M85	Coma Berenices	Galaxy	Moderate	tkt,
M84	Virgo	Galaxy	Moderate	tkt,
M86	Virgo	Galaxy	Moderate	tkt,
M87	Virgo	Galaxy	Moderate	tkt,
M89	Virgo	Galaxy	Difficult	tkt,
M90	Virgo	Galaxy	Difficult	tkt,
M88	Coma Berenices	Galaxy	Difficult	tkt,
M91	Coma Berenices	Galaxy	Difficult	tkt,
M58	Virgo	Galaxy	Moderate	tkt,
M59	Virgo	Galaxy	Moderate	tkt,
M60	Virgo	Galaxy	Moderate	tkt,
M49	Virgo	Galaxy	Moderate	tkt,
M61	Virgo	Galaxy	Moderate	tkt,
M104	Virgo	Galaxy	Moderate	tkt,
M68	Hydra	Globular Cluster	Difficult	tkt,
M83	Hydra	Galaxy	Difficult	tkt,

IV. After Midnight, clusters and a couple planetaries…

Messier	Constellation	Type	Rating	Viewed/Imaged
M5	Serpens	Globular Cluster	Moderate	tkt,
M13	Hercules	Globular Cluster	Easy	tkt,
M92	Hercules	Globular Cluster	Moderate	tkt,
M57	Lyra	Planetary Nebula	Moderate	tkt,
M56	Lyra	Globular Cluster	Difficult	tkt,
M29	Cygnus	Open Cluster	Moderate	tkt,
M39	Cygnus	Open Cluster	Moderate	tkt,
M27	Vulpecula	Planetary Nebula	Easy	tkt,
M71	Sagitta	Globular Cluster	Moderate	tkt,
M107	Ophiuchus	Globular Cluster	Moderate	tkt,
M12	Ophiuchus	Globular Cluster	Moderate	tkt,
M10	Ophiuchus	Globular Cluster	Moderate	tkt,
M14	Ophiuchus	Globular Cluster	Moderate	tkt,
M9	Ophiuchus	Globular Cluster	Moderate	tkt,

V. Scorpius and Sagittarius Region…

Messier	Constellation	Type	Rating	Viewed/Imaged
M4	Scorpius	Globular Cluster	Easy	tkt,
M80	Scorpius	Globular Cluster	Moderate	tkt,
M19	Ophiuchus	Globular Cluster	Moderate	tkt,
M62	Ophiuchus	Globular Cluster	Moderate	tkt,
M6	Scorpius	Open Cluster	Moderate	tkt,
M7	Scorpius	Open Cluster	Easy	tkt,
M11	Scutum	Open Cluster	Easy	tkt,
M26	Scutum	Open Cluster	Difficult	tkt,
M16	Serpens	Diffuse Nebula and Open Cluster	Easy	tkt,
M17	Sagittarius	Diffuse Nebula	Easy	tkt,
M18	Sagittarius	Open Cluster	Easy	tkt,
M24	Sagittarius	Star Cloud	Easy	tkt,
M25	Sagittarius	Open Cluster	Easy	tkt,
M23	Sagittarius	Open Cluster	Easy	tkt,
M21	Sagittarius	Open Cluster	Easy	tkt,
M20	Sagittarius	Diffuse Nebula	Easy	tkt,
M8	Sagittarius	Diffuse Nebula	Easy	tkt,
M28	Sagittarius	Globular Cluster	Easy	tkt,
M22	Sagittarius	Globular Cluster	Easy	tkt,
M69	Sagittarius	Globular Cluster	Difficult	tkt,
M70	Sagittarius	Globular Cluster	Difficult	tkt,
M54	Sagittarius	Globular Cluster	Difficult	tkt,
M55	Sagittarius	Globular Cluster	Difficult	tkt,
M75	Sagittarius	Globular Cluster	Difficult	tkt,

VI. Early Dawn, and very hard to get in upper latitudes…

Messier	Constellation	Type	Rating	Viewed/Imaged
M15	Pegasus	Globular Cluster	Difficult	tkt,
M2	Aquarius	Globular Cluster	Difficult
M72	Aquarius	Globular Cluster	Difficult
M73	Aquarius	Open Cluster	Difficult
M30	Capricornus	Globular Cluster	Difficult