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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). Because Messier was interested only in finding comets, he created a list of those non-comet objects that frustrated his hunt for them.
- Messier Catalogue
- Astronomical catalogue
- 1774 (preliminary version)
- Charles Messier
Learn about the messier catalog, an index of the different objects in the night sky that can be observed with a telescope, a pair of binoculars and sometimes with the naked eye. Find out its purpose, history, list of 110 objects, and how to plan your deep sky observation.
MNgcTypeConsM1NGC 1952 Crab NebulaSupernova RemnantTaurusM2NGC 7089Globular ClusterAquariusM3NGC 5272Globular ClusterCanes VenaticiM4NGC 6121Globular ClusterScorpius- Messier 1 (The Crab Nebula) Better known as the Crab Nebula, Charles Messier originally mistook Messier 1 for Halley’s Comet, which inspired him to create…
- Messier 2. Hubble's image of Messier 2 is comprised of visible and infrared wavelengths of light.
- Messier 3. Messier 3 holds more than 500,000 stars.
- Messier 4. Use the bright star, Antares, to help you find Messier 4.
- Crab Nebula (NGC 1952) The Crab Nebula (M1) is a supernova remnant approximately 6,500 light years away in the constellation Taurus. It is the remnant of the historic supernova SN 1054, observed from July 4, 1054, to April 6, 1056.
- NGC 7089. NGC 7089 (M2) is a globular cluster 55,000 light years away in the constellation Aquarius. It has an apparent magnitude of 6.3 and is 16 arcminutes across.
- NGC 5272. NGC 5272 (M3) is a globular cluster 33,900 light years away in the constellation Canes Venatici. It appears almost exactly halfway between Arcturus and Cor Caroli.
- NGC 6121. NGC 6121 (M4) is a globular cluster 7,200 light years away in the constellation Scorpius. It appears only 1.3 degrees west of Antares.
Jan 31, 2021 · Learn about the Messier objects, a collection of 110 celestial phenomena that includes galaxies, nebulae, clusters and stars. Find out their names, locations, features and history, and see images and descriptions of each Messier object.
Learn about the Messier objects, a group of deep sky objects catalogued by Charles Messier in the 18th century. Find out their names, locations, magnitudes, distances, and features. See images and maps of Messier objects and their nearby stars.
Aug 7, 2021 · Learn about the Messier Catalog, a collection of 27 open clusters, 29 globular clusters, 6 diffuse nebulae, 4 planetary nebulae, and 40 galaxies beyond the Solar System. Find out the details of each object, such as type, mag, size, distance, right ascension, declination, and viewing season.