Chuck, Ignore the curmudgeons :)! A Messier Marathon can actually be a lot of fun, as long as you look at it as a party, not a serious grind :) It's all about attitude, and everyone should probably try one once. It's like anything else in life, you can make it a great night with friends, doing something totally ridiculous, or you can make it a killer competition, with angst, stress and nasty language. The older I get, the more I tend to take these things as a convenient excuse to be with people I enjoy. Instead of looking at it as a competition to "see" the objects, look at it more as a test of your finding skills, and your skills operating a telescope. It's like a spelling bee. It's not why you learn to read and spell, and it's not your primary reason for learning to read and spell, but it's fun to test that aspect of your skills. Jo At 09:41 AM 2/18/2004 -0800, you wrote:
I'll never mention a M.M. again. I didn't mean to trigger any unpleasant memories for anyone.