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The Messier objects are a set of 110 astronomical objects catalogued by the French astronomer Charles Messier in his Catalogue des Nébuleuses et des Amas d'Étoiles (Catalogue of Nebulae and Star Clusters).
The Messier catalog, begun by astronomer Charles Messier in the 18th Century and revised over the years, includes some of the most fascinating astronomical objects that can be observed from Earth’s Northern Hemisphere.
Messier’s catalogue includes a varied mix of astronomical objects, from planetary nebulae and H II regions to galaxies and star clusters. Unlike Caldwell objects, which are listed from the northernmost to the southernmost, Messier objects are mostly listed in the order of discovery.
There are 110 astronomical objects listed in the Messier catalog: 40 galaxies, 29 globular clusters, 27 open clusters, 6 diffuse nebulae, 4 planetary nebulae. The list also contains a few stand-alone objects: 1 supernova remnant, 1 asterism, 1 double star, and 1 Milky Way patch.
This is the list of the 110 objects in the Messier Catalogue with their designations in the New General Catalogue (NGC), traditional names, object types and constellations.
Messier’s list includes almost all the best examples of different types of deep sky objects – galaxies, open clusters, globular clusters, planetary nebulae, and diffuse nebulae – that can be observed from Europe.
The complete Messier Catalogue, including images, magnitudes and coordinates to find each one in the night sky.
Jun 30, 2022 · The Messier list starts with 103 deep-sky objects by the 18th century French astronomer Charles Messier. Eventually, seven more additions in the 20th century, bring the list up to 110 objects....
Messier’s observation of the nebula inspired him to create a catalog of celestial objects that might be mistaken for comets. This large mosaic of the Crab Nebula was assembled from 24 individual exposures captured by Hubble over three months.
The Messier catalog includes such diverse objects as the Crab Nebula supernova remnant (M1), the Pleiades star cluster (M45), and the great spiral galaxy in Andromeda (M31). Messier’s purpose was to make comet hunting easier by tabulating permanent deep-sky objects that could be mistaken for comets.
