The 192 Panel Mosaic began as a 12 panel mosaic on a different system

– 2013: Development of idea
– 2014: Purchase of initial equipment
– 2015: Refinement of process
– November 2015: Officially began mosaic with a failed start- re-figuring equipment
– 2016-2017: Backyard and weekend warrior- decided to create dual imaging system (two tubes, one mount)
– 2016-2017: Local imaging at dark sites anytime the skies allowed
– 2016- 2017: Completion of 52 panels as a travelling imager – Fall 2017: Invited into MaRIO Observatory in Marathon. Tx at the Marathon Sky Park. Amazing opportunity that allowed me to complete another 28 panels in one season
– 2018: Completion of an additional 49 panels in one season in an observatory
– 2019: Completion of a total of 58 panels in the observatory
– Spring 2020: Completion of a total of 26 panels (many redone because of subpar data) in the observatory – Summer 2020: First attempt at processing complete data met with failure because of inefficient processing/computing power.  Limited to sections of the mosaic at a time. – Summer 2020: Compiled data and built a website to house the data during spare time afforded by pandemic
– Summer 2020: Built a computer to process the 22 TB of data stored across 12 hard drives
– August 27, 2020: Calibrated and registered all 204 panels with astrometric solutions via Pixinsight
– Projected October 2020: Solving and processing the final data for release

Marathon Skies: An Astronomy Adventure

Three years of visiting the dark skies of Marathon! I can never get enough. If you are an astronomer and looking for a wonderful place to observe, recharge your batteries, and enjoy a beautiful place. Marathon Motel and Marathon Sky Park is the place for you!