Remote Messier - Marathon

An other kind of challenge

The Messier Marathon is a fixed point every year for most amateur astronomers around the world. They try to get all the 110 Messier objects at only one night. Normally, this marathon is done visible with lots of different telescopes and people love to remeber it.
 

What is the “Remote Messier - Marathon?

The “Remote Messier-Marathon” is the photographical counterpart to the visual Messier Marathon. Here you have the unique chance to use remote controlled telescopes to image all entire 110 Messier object in only one night! And you are in a competition with other amateur astronomers around the world to do this in best time.

The competition!

This competition is not for doing pretty pictures from all objects, but you have the chance to find out how easy and fast it is to take images with remote controlled telescope. So if you are doubtful about such equipment, this is your chance to find out how easy it is with no risk but a lot of fun! You are working in a team with up to 25 people. It’s you and your team that is working on a strategy together to find out what is the fastest and most efficient way to win this competition. After this competition you’ll know how GRAS is working and you’ll have the possibility to take you own pretty pictures with professional telescopes. A List what equipment is available can you see if you click HERE...

At each night are two teams with up to 25 persons that are in a direct challenge to win the competition. Perhaps you’ll question why are so many people? That’s ease, it’s your advantage. Your team has to find out the best way to finish the competition. The images that you’ll take are shown live at our webpage, link will follow, so you, your team and your family will be able to whatch the competition. Don’t forget them to tell that they should cross their fingers ;-)

This idea was instigate and supported by Arnie Rosner (GRAS), Michael Pagtiz (AMOS) and Evan Fischler.

You will find more information here...

“Global Rent a Scope”
 

How does remote imaging work?

Please watch this Video Tutorial to find out how it works!

For the “Remote Messier-Marathon” we put a short description on this page, scroll down to see it. If you need assistance, you have the possibility to use our live support via skype.
 

Terms & conditions

It’s allowed to everyone to join this competition that have payed the 50$ on our paypal account. For registration, please contact us by mail at:

arnie[at]arnieroser.com or for German people michael-pagitz[at]gmx.at

• Limited to two teams with max. 25 persons a night
• Imaging time 30s to 45s at one object, 2 x binning
• It’s also allowed to use scripting
• No autofocus (Systems are already sharp)
• 50$ covering the all the costs. No hidden cost!
• Participants are not allowed to image other objects. Only Messier Objects are allowed to image. Missuse will disqualify the team and they will bill with the normal price.
• Live Support via Skype

This is for the winners!

1st place: 300 ($300 value) points with total access to the entire GRAS Telescope Network.
2nd place: 200 ($200 value) points with total access to the entire GRAS Telescope Network.
3rd place: 100 ($100 value) points with total access to the entire GRAS Telescope Network.

Bonus award to all participants: CCD-100 plan mebership ($100) value at GRAS
for one month at no extra cost.

All User will also get access to all images from the contest with all intellectual rights included.

AND THE COMPETITION BEGINS!

We had to do some changes to be more flexible for the Teams. So we decided that each Team choose his own starting date. The first team comes from Austria and will start in the night of Wednesday the 2nd of April. We are proud that this is one of two juveniles teams that accept the challenge. They are supported by the Perau grammar school.

The next team is expected to start on Saturady the 5th of April. They are supported by the German astronomy Forum astronomie.de and it is the second juveniles team.

The Marathon has been finished :-)

The winner of the 1 remote Messier Marathon

1st place: goes to team Perau Gymnasium Villach.

Winner time: 2h 48m 27s

Objects total: 109

Team members: - Christian Plasounig (Team Leader)
              - Christoph Bilban
              - Sebastian Benque
              - Gerald Zernatto
              - Kevin Schneider
 

The winning team are pupils from “Perau Gymnasium” Villach (Austria) they were sponsored by their High school. The Perau High school, directed by HR. Dr. Christoph Zebedin, is one of these schools that are believe that astronomy is an important part for younger people and so they really interested in supporting them.

The strategy was clear from the beginning. First, they calculated the shortest way for the scope and then they made a script so the scope where able to image all objects automatically. So they could image 109 of 110 objects in only one night! Just M30 is missing in their list.

The 2nd place

Team Austria

2nd place: goes to the Team of astronomie.de

Time: 3h 08m 48s

Objects total: 101

Team members: - Martin (Team Leader)
              - Dennis
              - Raphael
              - Julian

Team Germany

This team was sponsored by Doris and Ulf Unbehaun, the owners of the German astronomy platform “astronomie.de” who felt that the young members are a very important part for all the staffs of astronomie.de so they decided to send two teams to the competition. They were really successful and reached the second and third place.

This team had a different strategy, they used a combination of scripting and manual operation. So they could image 101 objects at one night. So they are missing M10, M30, M31, M32, M33, M74, M77, M104, M105

The 3rd place

Team Germany

3rd Platz: goes to the Team astronomie.de

Time: 3h 57m s

Objects total: 97

Team member:  - Moritz (Team Leader)
              - Christoph
              - Matthias

The strategy of this team was also clear from the beginning. They decided to take all images completely manually, so they didn’t use scripting. Althought the missed time at the beginning and the end of the marathon, especially after sunrise and sunset, they were able to catch 97 M objects in one night. They had a lot of stamina and concentration so they are just missing M10, M30, M31, M32, M33, M34, M43, M66, M74, M77, M98, M100, M106 Perhaps they will get all images on the next marathon.

A lot of astronomers asked about the winning time for this marathon and so we decided to make a guessing competition. So people had the chance to make one guess and the three people will receive points to use GRAS. People had the chance to place their guess at the German Forum of astronomie.de You can see each by clicking this link: “THREAD”

The guessing competition

And the best three of the guessing competition are:

1st place: Dennis B. estimated time: 02 h 37 m 00 s time difference: 00 h 11 m 27 s

2nd place: Mark S. estimated time: 02 h 20 m 00 s time difference: 00h 28 m 27s

3 rd place: Hans M. K. estimated time: 03 h 29 m 30 s time difference: 00h 41 m 03s

The graphic shows the spreading of guessed time.

Click on the image on the right side to see all users with their time vote and the difference to the messier time.

Congratulation to all winners of the competition! We wish them a great experience with “GRAS”