Messier Marathon Dates

Given below are the best dates for

Messier Marathons for the upcoming future years

up to 2019. 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 will 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



1998  Mar 28.1             Mar 28 (I: 1,4,6)

1999  Mar 17.8             Mar 20 (D: 1)        Mar 13 (I: 1,5)



2000  Mar 06.2, Apr 04.8   Apr  1               Mar 11

2001  Mar 25.0             Mar 24 (D: 2)

2002  Mar 14.1             Mar 16 (D: 7,2)

2003  Mar 03.1, Apr 01.8   Mar 29 (D: 7,1)      Mar 08 (I: 7)

2004  Mar 21.0             Mar 20 (D: 7)



2005  Mar 10.4             Mar 12 (I: 7,2)

2006  Mar 29.4             Mar 25 (D: 7)        Apr 01 (D: 7)

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             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)

Last Modification: 19 Mar 1998, 22:10 MET