by Thomas Avery
Helping Texas astronomers chase all 110.
The Texas Messier Marathon is an independent project helping amateur astronomers across Texas practice and complete the full Messier Catalog. We grew out of the 2026 multi-club collaboration at Fort McKavett and now operate on our own, while remaining friendly with clubs across the Southwest Region.
What we do
– Publish daily localized Messier practice guides for major Texas cities
– Publish a Weekly Binocular Guide every Friday morning covering the coming week
– Organize the annual Messier Marathon at Fort McKavett
– Share practical observing resources, dark-site information, and star-hopping help
About the Project
This is a one-person independent effort. Any future income would come only from optional merchandise (a Zazzle store that is not yet linked or promoted on this site). The guides, event information, and resources themselves remain free.
We keep things simple and focused on the sky.
Image Credits
The rotating background images show Messier objects. Each image displays the object name and photographer credit in the lower left.
Photographs currently in rotation include work by:
– Armen Akkopian (UTHSC San Antonio)
– Volodymyr Varchuk – [Flickr](https://www.flickr.com/photos/volodymyr_varchuk/)
– Gregg Bellman – [Flickr](https://www.flickr.com/photos/193011032@N04/)
– Ernest Adams – [Flickr](https://www.flickr.com/photos/24472289@N07/)
Some of these images are from Texas astronomers who are no longer with us. We are grateful for their contributions and their legacy under these skies.
Contact: info@texasmessiermarathon.org