2025 Visual Observing Olympics:
A Little Bit of Everything

Includes both Telescope & Binocular Observing Lists

Telescopic Observing at Stellafane: Larry Mitchell is an avid, experienced visual observer. After years of using a 36-inch reflector, Larry now uses a research grade 30-inch f/3.3 reflector. He has observed so many objects that he decided to use the descriptions he wrote of deep-sky objects over the years and make a book of them. The American Astronomical Society just published his 3-volume book Advanced Observing - Visual Mysteries of the Universe. It contains information about 200 little known, somewhat visually easy objects, and how to find them without resorting to a computer. Larry has observed all of William Herschel's discoveries. He is the author of the "MAC” Galaxy Catalog, which is the “Mitchell Anonymous Catalog" and contains 117,300 new galaxies. It is included in the MegaStar planetarium software database. Larry Mitchell created the catalog through manual inspection of the Palomar Optical Sky Survey images. Larry is the discoverer of Type 1a Supernova 1994S in NGC 4495, a galaxy in the constellation Coma Berenice. Larry has authored several articles for Sky & Telescope, Astronomy, and The Reflector, the quarterly magazine published by the Astronomical League. It is not a surprise that Larry has an asteroid named for him - 126293 Larrymitchell.

Larry is the Chairman of the Texas Star Party Advanced Observing Program. Its goal is to encourage people to visually observe objects they may have never heard of, or thought they could not see, and to successfully make their observations with modest-sized telescopes. For eight years Larry has put together wonderful observing programs for the Stellafane Convention. This year’s program is “A Little Bit of Everything”. The 2025 Stellafane Telescope Observing Olympics list consists of Galaxies, Globular Clusters, Open Clusters, Quasars, Planetary Nebulae, Emission Nebulae, and Dark Nebulae. On Saturday at 4:00pm in the Pavilion, Larry will talk about the universe as it is, and was, and present discoveries about objects on the observing list.

Anyone who successfully finds 15 or more deep-sky objects during Convention is eligible to receive a pin commemorating that accomplishment. The program has become very popular at Stellafane since its start in 2016, and we predict that the 2025 Stellafane Observing Olympics pins will be much in demand!

Binocular Observing at Stellafane: Phil Harrington is a very familiar writer to most amateur astronomers for his many articles and books on astronomy, including Touring the Universe Through Binoculars and Star Ware. He has spent countless hours observing objects in the sky using telescopes and binoculars, and frequently writes reviews about the astronomical equipment he used. He taught stellar and planetary astronomy at Suffolk Community College, Selden, NY. This year Phil will be presenting “The 50th Anniversary of the Westport Astronomical Society”, the organization which Phil co-founded in 1975. His talk is scheduled for Saturday at 2:00pm in the Pavilion.

Starting in 2018, each year Phil has created a Stellafane Binocular Observing Olympics (BOO) list, along with descriptions of each object. Find 15 objects out of the 20 on the list and you will be given a commemorative pin for your achievement.

Awards: You can hand in your checked off observing lists at the Observing Olympics table set up in the field below the McGregor Observatory. Pins will be awarded Friday and Saturday evenings during observing hours, and Sunday morning at 10:30 AM. Copies of “A Little Bit of Everything” telescope Observing Olympics list and the “Binocular Observing Olympics VII “list will be available there, as well as in the Pavilion and the Stellafane Clubhouse.

The 2025 Observing Rules: The objects listed are visible from the 2025 Stellafane Convention in Vermont. All telescope objects should be visible in 8-inch and above telescopes under a sky with fairly good seeing and transparency. Deep-Sky Binocular Objects include Galaxies, Globular Clusters, Bright Nebulae, Dark Nebulae, Open Clusters, Asterisms, and Double Stars.

1. Any telescope or combination of scopes may be used, but the observations must be completed during the 2025 Stellafane Convention. The same rule applies to Binoculars.

2. Objects may be found by star hopping or by go-to.

3. To qualify for the observing pin, simply observe them and check off the objects on the Observing List.

4. The first 100 people successfully observing 15 or more of the listed objects will receive a Stellafane Observing Pin. Successful observers can obtain their pin at the Observing Olympics table located on the hill below the McGregor Observatory, on Thursday, Friday or Saturday night, or Sunday morning at 10:30 AM.

5. For questions during Convention, please see Larry Mitchell regarding the Observing Olympics list, Phil Harrington regarding the Binocular Observing list, or Springfield Telescope Makers Eileen Myers.

6. Download the Observing Lists and other materials below.

A big thank you from the Springfield Telescope Makers
to Larry Mitchell and Phil Harrington!

Click for the printable Telescope Observing Olympics Check List in pdf

Click for the printable Binocular Observing Olympics Object Check List in pdf

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