Herschel Hustle Information
We are all familiar with the Messier Marathon, but there are other challenges out there awaiting those who are willing to make the effort. Sky and Telescope Magazine came up with the idea and called it the Herschel Sprint. This is our take on it.
William Herschel was an amazing astronomer. He was able to use relatively good optics, but the mechanics of his telescopes was limited by today’s standards. With his telescope, scanning only in declination, we was able to observe objects as they crossed his meridian. The goal of this challenge is to relive one special night when he discovered 74 objects in one night. To truly experience the event, use an eyepiece with a 15 to 20 arc-minute field and about 150 power. Once on the meridian, the purists will switch to manual telescope operation, only changing the declination as time progresses. To see them all will require a large telescope (14-inches or larger). Select a date when the first object transits about an hour after sunset.
The list:
| # | NGC # | Transit Delta Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3196 | 0:00 |
| 2 | 3245 | 0:08 |
| 3 | 3265 | 0:13 |
| 4 | 3274 | 0:14 |
| 5 | 3277 | 0:15 |
| 6 | 3380 | 0:30 |
| 7 | 3400 | 0:33 |
| 8 | 3414 | 0:33 |
| 9 | 3418 | 0:33 |
| 10 | 3451 | 0:36 |
| 11 | 3486 | 0:42 |
| 12 | 3504 | 0:45 |
| 13 | 3510 | 0:46 |
| 14 | 3512 | 0:46 |
| 15 | 3527 | 0:49 |
| 16 | 3550 | 0:53 |
| 17 | 3552 | 0:53 |
| 18 | 3713 | 1:14 |
| 19 | 3714 | 1:14 |
| 20 | 4004 | 1:40 |
| 21 | 4008 | 1:40 |
| 22 | 4017 | 1:43 |
| 23 | 4080 | 1:47 |
| 24 | 4104 | 1:48 |
| 25 | 4131 | 1:51 |
| 26 | 4132 | 1:51 |
| 27 | 4134 | 1:51 |
| 28 | 4169 | 1:54 |
| 29 | 4173 | 1:54 |
| 30 | 4174 | 1:54 |
| 31 | 4175 | 1:54 |
| 32 | 4185 | 1:55 |
| 33 | 4196 | 1:56 |
| 34 | 4209 | 1:57 |
| 35 | 4251 | 2:00 |
| 36 | 4275 | 2:02 |
| 37 | 4278 | 2:02 |
| 38 | 4283 | 2:02 |
| 39 | 4310 | 2:04 |
| 40 | 4375 | 2:07 |
| 41 | 4393 | 2:08 |
| 42 | 4448 | 2:10 |
| 43 | 4475 | 2:10 |
| 44 | 4556 | 2:18 |
| 45 | 4559 | 2:18 |
| 46 | 4692 | 2:30 |
| 47 | 4793 | 2:36 |
| 48 | 4798 | 2:37 |
| 49 | 4816 | 2:38 |
| 50 | 4827 | 2:38 |
| 51 | 4839 | 2:39 |
| 52 | 4840 | 2:39 |
| 53 | 4841 | 2:39 |
| 54 | 4869 | 2:41 |
| 55 | 4874 | 2:41 |
| 56 | 4889 | 2:42 |
| 57 | 4892 | 2:42 |
| 58 | 4908 | 2:43 |
| 59 | 4911 | 2:43 |
| 60 | 4921 | 2:43 |
| 61 | 4923 | 2:43 |
| 62 | 4927 | 2:44 |
| 63 | 4944 | 2:46 |
| 64 | 4952 | 2:47 |
| 65 | 4957 | 2:47 |
| 66 | 4961 | 2:47 |
| 67 | 4983 | 2:50 |
| 68 | 5000 | 2:51 |
| 69 | 5032 | 2:55 |
| 70 | 5116 | 3:05 |
| 71 | 5251 | 3:19 |
| 72 | 5263 | 3:22 |
| 73 | 5958 | 5:21 |
| 74 | 6001 | 5:29 |
The dowloadable Herschel Hustle Participation Certificate is available here. (print, copy and fill in the blanks).
If you are able to compelte the challenge, submit your log to the Herschel Society Coordinator as detailed on this web page.