The forecast is still for clear skies and warm temperatures tonight! It’s predicted to still be 73F at midnight, and only 69F by dawn. That’s unusual even for the summer months, much less for the first full day of Spring!
The wind forecasts are a bit better, but are still predicted to increase as the night goes on, so completing the marathon in the early morning hours might be difficult. But this should be perfect weather for the 14" and 30"! Thanks Marv, and others, for opening those up tonight!
I will not be there tonight, but here’s the criteria for certificates from the club for the Messier Marathon.
Messier Marathon 2026
We will award club certificates for participants in the Messier Marathon at CRO this year.
We’ll have four categories: Manual Telescope Go-to Telescope Binoculars EAA
In each category we’ll have 3 levels of accomplishment: 50% (55 objects observed) 90% (99 objects observed) 100% (110 objects observed)
To receive a OKCAC certificate submit your observation sheet to: observingcoordinator@okcastroclub.com. Certificates will be handed out at the meeting following the submission.
The club rules are simple. Observations must be completed in one night. Record your observations on an observation sheet (doesn’t matter which one you choose). Submit your observation sheet to the email address above. You must indicate at the top of the sheet what category you completed. For EAA observations, you must record an image of the Messier object, in addition to completing the observation sheet. Those should be posted on an online site for everyone to view and enjoy!
Observation sheets are available at CRO, though I’d recommend finding one online that you like, downloading and printing it before you go out. There are numerous sheets online you can find and print.
Tom McDonough has very generously provided a link to his Messier Marathon resources at Messier Marathon Charts