Astronomical objects catalogued by Charles Messier
Messier Catalog
All Messier objects
Alternative names
Messier Catalogue
Survey type
Astronomical catalogue
Named after
Charles Messier
Published
1774 (preliminary version)
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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. This list, which Messier created in collaboration with his assistant Pierre Méchain, is now known as the Messier catalogue. The Messier catalogue is one of the most famous lists of astronomical objects, and many objects on the list are still referenced by their Messier numbers.[1]
The catalogue includes most of the astronomical deep-sky objects that can be easily observed from Earth's Northern Hemisphere; many Messier objects are popular targets for amateur astronomers.[2]
A preliminary version of the catalogue first appeared in 1774 in the Memoirs of the French Academy of Sciences for the year 1771.[3][4][5]
The first version of Messier's catalogue contained 45 objects, which were not numbered. Eighteen of the objects were discovered by Messier; the rest had been previously observed by other astronomers.[6]
By 1780 the catalogue had increased to 70 objects.[7] The final version of the catalogue containing 103 objects was published in 1781 in the Connaissance des Temps for the year 1784.[8][4]
However, due to what was thought for a long time to be the incorrect addition of Messier 102, the total number remained 102. Other astronomers, using side notes in Messier's texts, eventually filled out the list up to 110 objects.[9]
The catalogue consists of a diverse range of astronomical objects, from star clusters and nebulae to galaxies. For example, Messier 1 is a supernova remnant, known as the Crab Nebula, and the great spiral Andromeda Galaxy is M31. Further inclusions followed; the first addition came from Nicolas Camille Flammarion in 1921, who added Messier 104 after finding Messier's side note in his 1781 edition exemplar of the catalogue. M105 to M107 were added by Helen Sawyer Hogg in 1947, M108 and M109 by Owen Gingerich in 1960, and M110 by Kenneth Glyn Jones in 1967.[10]
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"Original Messier Catalog of 1781". Students for the Exploration and Development of Space. 10 November 2007.
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Garner, Rob (18 December 2018). "Hubble's Messier catalog". Goddard SFC. NASA. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
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Messier, Charles (16 February 1771). "Catalogue des Nébuleuses et des amas d'Étoiles, que l'on découvre parmi les Étoiles fixes, sur l'horizon de Paris. Observées à l'Observatoire de la Marine, avec differens instrumens". Histoire de l'Académie Royale des Sciences. Avec les Mémoires de Mathématique & de Physique, pour la même Année, Tirés des Registres de cette Académie. année 1774. Paris, FR: L'Imprimerie Royale: 435. Retrieved 7 January 2021 – via Gallica (Archives de l'Académie des sciences).
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"Charles Messier's original catalog of 1771". Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (SEDS). 15 June 2007. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
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"Messier catalog". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
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Gingerich, Owen (September 1953). "Messier and his catalogue II". Sky & Telescope. No. 142 – via archive.org.
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Messier, Charles (1780). "Catalogue des Nébuleuses et des amas d'Étoiles, Observées à Paris, par M. Messier, à l'Observatoire de la Marine, hôtel de Clugni, rue des Mathurins". Connoissance des Temps. pour l'année commune 1783. Paris, FR: L'Imprimerie Royale: 225–249, & 408 – via Gallica (Archives de l'Académie des sciences).
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Messier, Charles (1781). "Catalogue des Nébuleuses et des amas d'Étoiles, Observées à Paris, par M. Messier, à l'Observatoire de la Marine, hôtel de Clugni, rue des Mathurins". Connoissance des Temps, ou Connoissance des mouvemens célestes. pour l'année bissextile 1784. Paris, FR: L'Imprimerie Royale: 227–267. Bibcode:1781cote.rept..227M – via Gallica.
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"The Messier Catalogue". SEDS Messier Database. SEDS. 27 May 2015.
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Moore, Patrick (1979). The Guinness Book of Astronomy. Guinness Superlatives. ISBN 978-0-900424-76-2 – via archive.org.
The Messierobjects are a set of 110 astronomical objects catalogued by the French astronomer Charles Messier in his Catalogue des Nébuleuses et des Amas...
The Sombrero Galaxy (also known as MessierObject 104, M104 or NGC 4594) is a peculiar galaxy of unclear classification in the constellation borders of...
Messier 31". Astrophysical Journal. 69: 103–158. Bibcode:1929ApJ....69..103H. doi:10.1086/143167. Baade, Walter (1944). "The Resolution of Messier 32...
Nebula List of diffuse nebulae List of MessierobjectsMessier 43, which is part of the Orion Nebula Messier 78, a reflection nebula New General Catalogue...
discovered by Henrietta Swan Leavitt. List of galaxies List of MessierobjectsMessierobject New General Catalogue Dreyer, J. L. E. (1988). Sinnott, R. W...
1758 by Charles Messier as he was observing a bright comet. Messier catalogued it as the first entry in his catalogue of comet-like objects; in 1757, Alexis...
supernova since SN 1972E. Messier 82 imaged by amateur astronomer W4SM with 17" PlaneWave CDK astrograph List of Messierobjects Baby Boom Galaxy – The brightest...
and was communicated that year to Charles Messier, who verified its position for inclusion in the Messier Catalogue as one of its final entries. On February...
it is among the nearest star clusters to Earth. It is the nearest Messierobject to Earth, and is the most obvious cluster to the naked eye in the night...
Messier 84 or M84, also known as NGC 4374, is a giant elliptical or lenticular galaxy in the constellation Virgo. Charles Messier discovered the object...
October 13, 1773, by Charles Messier while hunting for objects that could confuse comet hunters, and was designated in Messier's catalogue as M51. William...
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Messier 87. Messier 87, SEDS Messier pages ESA/Hubble images of M87 Messier 87 on WikiSky: DSS2, SDSS, GALEX, IRAS...
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Messier 106. StarDate: M106 Fact Sheet Spiral Galaxy M106 at SEDS Messier pages Messier 106 on WikiSky: DSS2, SDSS, GALEX...
Messier 102 (also known as M102) is a galaxy listed in the Messier Catalogue that cannot be unambiguously identified. Its original discoverer Pierre Méchain...
"planetary nebula" terminology). It would be entered into Messier's catalogue as the 57th object. Messier and German-born astronomer William Herschel speculated...
wavelengths List of Messierobjects List of nebulae Messierobject New General Catalogue Wikipedia Project: Astronomical Objects Islands (King Crimson...
later verified by his colleague Charles Messier on June 14, 1779. The galaxy became listed as object 63 in the Messier Catalogue. In the mid-19th century,...
S2CID 119479585. "Messier 74". SEDS Messier Catalog. Archived from the original on 27 June 2023. Retrieved 30 April 2022. "MessierObject 74". Nemiroff,...
Majoris). Messier 109 was discovered by Pierre Méchain in 1781. Two years later Charles Messier catalogued the object, as an appended object to his publication...
2022, Messier 7 is one of the few remaining Messierobjects not photographed by the Hubble Space Telescope. This is mainly due to those objects' angular...
elliptical galaxy Messier 60 were both discovered by Johann Gottfried Koehler in April 1779 when observing comet seeming close by. Charles Messier listed both...
..870...32K. doi:10.3847/1538-4357/aaef8c. S2CID 119328315. "Messier 16". SEDS Messier Catalog. Archived from the original on 13 May 2022. Retrieved...
(also called Sleeping Beauty Galaxy or Evil Eye Galaxy and designated Messier 64, M64, or NGC 4826) is a relatively isolated spiral galaxy 17 million...
12-inch Dobson telescope in Viña del Mar List of Messierobjects New General Catalogue Messierobject List of open clusters "M 41". SIMBAD. Centre de données...
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