Messier Marathon with Fordingbridge Astronomers
Friday 28th March 2025 from 19:30pm to Saturday 29th March 2025 12:00pm
Penton Hill - New Forest
Frogham, Fordingbridge, Hampshire, SP6 2QJ, South East England
Weather permitting, Fordingbridge Astronomers will be holding its annual Messier Challenge in the New Forest on Friday 28 March 2025 near the village of Frogham.
It’s not possible to see all 110 of Charles Messier’s objects from the UK but the challenge is to see as many as possible. Our record so far is 100.
Participation is free of charge and we welcome members from other astronomical societies as well as beginners including members of the public. There is plenty of car parking and space for telescopes and imaging set ups in the dark skies of the New Forest.
Arrival time is usually around 7pm in order to set up safely in the late twilight and observing will start once it’s dark, around 7:45pm.
We will continue through the night, finishing at dawn, but there is no requirement to stay so long; feel free to go wherever you wish.
There will be a partial solar eclipse the following Saturday morning which the really committed will stay on to observe!
Please contact the Fordingbridge Astronomers if you would like to participate in this event.
Event organiser
Fordingbridge Astronomers is organising this event
Please contact Fordingbridge Astronomers directly for more details regarding this event or, if appropriate, contact the event venue.
Email: [email protected]
Website: Fordingbridge Astronomers
Facebook: Fordingbridge Astronomers
Event booking
For full details on how to attend this event, including how to book, please see the event's official website.
Visit event websiteEvent darkness
The below chart shows if and when the skies will be at their darkest during this event. Moonlight is shown in light yellow and the Sun's twilight in light blue. Midnight on the date shown is shown as a white line with sunset to the left and sunrise the next morning to the right. A black background with stars shows the best times for stargazing.
Fri 28th Mar
Sat 29th Mar
Local light pollution
Penton Hill - New Forest is estimated to have light pollution levels similar to arural rural location based on the latest data from the VIIRS satellite.
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Urban
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Suburban
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Semi-rural
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Rural
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Dark site
The above demonstrates the estimated effect of light pollution - graphics created using Stellarium.
Forthcoming events
Below is a list of events at Penton Hill - New Forest. View these events on our calendar, add them to your calendar or Google Calendar.
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