Last Saturday was also my first try to do a Messier Marathon.
As I packed up the car, in the rain, I wondered if this was good idea. Then I remembered all the reports of wonderful observing on other questionable occasions and banished all doubts.
Spent most of the afternoon in Gilroy, at the outlet mall, with the wife and kids. Then headed up to Pacheco State Park. This was my third time up there and the first time I have seen it during daylight! There were lots of people there when I arrived but not too many scopes. The reason was the recent rain. The sky had been improving and a hopeful awaited the fall of night.
I had brought Don Machholz's Marathon book and was all set to go. I scanned the western sky with me 10x70 binocs trying (in vain) to find the stars to use to get M74 and M77. Between my nearsightedness and the kids I was getting nowhere. For a quick kill I went for M42 and M45 with the binocs. Got 'em. Great, big deal. Made me feel better anyway.
I was terrified of dew. I was using my C8 and it has no electric dew removal (BIG MISTAKE). You would think I would have learned by now! The first time I took this scope anywhere to observe it dewed up between the time I removed the lens cap and the time I got the eyepiece in. That was 22 years ago! Now, at least, I have a Flexi-Shield and was determined to leave the cap on as much as possible.
Back to the hunt. Got M31, 32 and 110 and thought this is OK. By now it was quite dark and really wet. As I removed the lens cap was appalled by the water dripping off of it. Took a peek at M42 with the C8 and went up to M1 and over to my favorite chain of open clusters, Ms 35, 37, 36 and 38, in south to north order. I was surprised how hard they were to find. Examination revealed my finder was dripping wet! The doubt was replaced by certainty. No Marathon for me. At least not with the C8.
Tried to continue with the 10x70s and was rewarded with convincing views of M81 and M82. I could make out the different orientations of the galaxies. M51 revealed two center of brightness. M104 was easy. M65 and 66 were there but nearly as obvious as galaxies. At this point the dew was so bad that just putting the binocs near my eyes caused them to fog up. Virgo was lost.
I was not alone in this death by dew. Several of us were walking around mooching views. The crunch of trying to find those first few objects was over a very relaxed and fun (if wet) atmosphere had settled in on the group. I got excellent directions for finding a few objects that I had never seen before and nabbed M3 (thanks Doug). I was so inspired I went back to the C8 and found it without the finder. My newest addition, a 2 inch diagonal and matching 50mm Plossl gave a wide enough view. I even managed to find M65, 66 and NGC 3628 the same way. I decided to try for M95, 96 and 105 the same way. No luck. I gave up. I was out of the Messier business for the evening. A few times caught myself looking at the spot in sky containing M5 and didn't even bother to lift the binocs.
The fog sort of sloshed back and forth in the basin surrounding the park and it felt like most of it condensed on my shoes. Even so the company was good, the mooched views were lovely (the high light was M99 and M98 thru Bruce's .457) .I really enjoyed looking up at the dark (if damp) sky. M41 was naked eye as it set as was the double cluster in Perseus approached the northern horizon. It had been far too long without night under the stars. I left just after Antares rose.
Not a particularly fulfilling nor rewarding night, but I was so glad I went.
Thanks to everyone in TAC for the encouragement, enthusiasm, helpful hints and good cheer