The Messier Catalogue is a series of 110 astronomical objects catalogued by Charles Messier, a French Astronomer in his catalogue "Catalogue of Nebulae and Star Clusters"
Because Messier was only interested in finding comets, he created a list of non-comet objects that frustrated his hunt for them. The compilation of this list, in collaboration with his assistant Pierre Méchain, is known as the Messier catalogue. This catalogue of objects is one of the most famous lists of astronomical objects, and many Messier objects are still referenced by their Messier number.
Editions[]
A preliminary version first appeared in the Memoirs of the French Academy of Sciences in 1771. The first version of Messier's catalogue contained 45 objects and was published in 1774 in the journal of the French Academy of Sciences in Paris. Only eighteen of the objects were discovered Charles Messier. The rest had all been observed beforehand by other astronomers.
By 1780 the catalogue had increased to 80 objects. The final version of the catalogue containing 103 objects was published in 1781 However, due to what was thought 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.
Objects (Incomplete)[]
| Image | Designation | Common Name | Type | Right ascension | Declination | Apparent magnitude | NGC/IC Number |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Messier 1 | Crab Nebula | Supernova remnant | 05h 34m 31.94s | +22° 00' 52.2" | 8.4 | NGC 1952 |
|
Messier 2 | Messier 2 | Globular cluster | 21h 33m 27.02s | -00° 49' 23.7" | 6.3 | NGC 7089 |
|
Messier 3 | Messier 3 | Globular cluster | 13h 42m 11.62s | +22° 22' 38.2" | 6.2 | NGC 5272 |
|
Messier 18 | Black Swan Cluster | Open cluster | 18h 19.9m | -17° 08' | 7.5 | NGC 6613 |
|
Messier 21 | Webb's Cross | Open cluster | 18h 04.6m | -22° 30' | 6.5 | NGC 6531 |
|
Messier 22 | Sagittarius Globular Cluster | Globular cluster | 18h 36m 23.94s | -23° 54' 17.1" | 5.1 | NGC 6656 |
|
Messier 23 | Messier 23 | Open cluster | 17h 56.8m | -19° 01' | 6.9 | NGC 6494 |
|
Messier 24 | Sagittarius Star Cloud | Star cloud | 18h 17m | -18° 33' | 2.5 | IC 4715 |
|
Messier 25 | Messier 25 | Open Cluster | 18h 31m | -19° 07' | 4.9 | IC 4725 |
|
Messier 31 | Andromeda Galaxy | Galaxy | 00h 42m 44.3s | +41° 16' 9" | 3.4 | NGC 224 |
|
Messier 33 | Triangulum Galaxy | Galaxy | 00h 42m 44.3s | +41° 16' 9" | 3.4 | NGC 598 |
|
Messier 42 | Orion Nebula | Diffuse Nebula | 05h 35.0m | -05° 23' | 4.0 | NGC 1976 |
|
Messier 44 | Beehive Cluster | Open cluster | 05h 35.6m | -05° 16' | 9.0 | NGC 2632 |
|
Messier 51 | Whirlpool Galaxy | Galaxy | 13h 29m 52.7s | +47° 11' 43" | 8.4 | NGC 5194 |
|
Messier 64 | Black Eye Galaxy | Galaxy | 12h 56m 43.7s | +21° 40' 58" | 9.4 | NGC 4826 |
|
Messier 73 | Messier 73 | Asterism | 20h 58m 54s | -12° 38' | 9.0 | NGC 6994 |
|
Messier 81 | Bode's Galaxy | Galaxy | 09h 55m 33.2s | +69° 3' 55" | 8.4 | NGC 3031 |