Messier object

The Messier objects are a special group of 110 bright objects in space, collected by the French astronomer Charles Messier. He made this list to help himself and others find comets more easily. When he saw something in the sky that wasn’t a comet, he wrote it down so he wouldn’t mistake it for one later. He worked with his friend Pierre Méchain to build this list, which is now called the Messier catalogue.

Messier first shared a smaller list of these objects in 1774. Over time, he added more and more objects to his list. By 1781, he had written down 103 objects. Later, other astronomers found more objects in his notes and added them to the list, bringing the total to 110.

The Messier catalogue includes many different kinds of objects in space, such as groups of stars, glowing clouds of gas, and even whole galaxies. For example, Messier 1 is the Crab Nebula, the remains of a big star explosion, and Messier 31 is the Andromeda Galaxy, a giant spiral galaxy that is our neighbor in space. These objects are still very important today for both professional and amateur astronomers.

Lists and editions

The first edition of the Messier catalogue from 1774 included 45 objects, called M1 to M45. By 1781, Messier had published a list of 103 objects. Over time, other astronomers added more objects based on notes by Messier and his assistant Pierre Méchain. These additions included Messier 104 added in 1921, M105 to M107 in 1947, M108 and M109 in 1960, and M110 in 1967. There is some uncertainty about M102, which might be the same as M101 or another galaxy called NGC 5866.

Charles Messier

Messier’s final list appeared in a French astronomy book called Connaissance des Temps pour l'Année 1784. He worked in Paris, France, and only included objects he could see from there, so southern sky objects like the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds were not listed.

Observations

The Messier catalogue includes many of the most amazing examples of five types of deep-sky objects: diffuse nebulae, planetary nebulae, open clusters, globular clusters, and galaxies. These objects are among the closest to Earth in their groups, so scientists study them a lot with big telescopes.

Because these objects could be seen with the small refracting telescope (about 100 mm or 4 inches) that Messier used in Paris, they are some of the brightest astronomical objects. They are very popular for people who love looking at the stars, whether with their eyes or with cameras. In early spring, some astronomers have fun with "Messier marathons," trying to see all of these objects in just one night.

Messier objects

Other

Messier no.	NGC/IC no.	Common name	Object type	Distance (kly)	Constellation	Apparent magnitude	Apparent dimensions	Right ascension	Declination
M1	NGC 1952	Crab Nebula	Supernova remnant	4.9–8.1	Taurus	8.4	420″ × 290″	05^h 34^m 31.9^s	+22° 00′ 52.2″
M2	NGC 7089	—	Globular cluster	33	Aquarius	6.5	16′	21^h 33^m 27.0^s	−00° 49′ 23.7″
M3	NGC 5272	—	Globular cluster	33.9	Canes Venatici	6.2	18′	13^h 42^m 11.6^s	+28° 22′ 38.2″
M4	NGC 6121	Spider Globular Cluster	Globular cluster	7.2	Scorpius	5.6	26′	16^h 23^m 35.2^s	−26° 31′ 32.7″
M5	NGC 5904	Rose Cluster	Globular cluster	24.5	Serpens	5.6	23′	15^h 18^m 33.2^s	+02° 04′ 51.7″
M6	NGC 6405	Butterfly Cluster	Open cluster	1.6	Scorpius	4.2	25′	17^h 40.1^m	−32° 13′
M7	NGC 6475	Ptolemy's Cluster	Open cluster	0.65–1.31	Scorpius	3.3	80′	17^h 53^m 51.2^s	−34° 47′ 34″
M8	NGC 6523	Lagoon Nebula	Nebula with cluster	4.1	Sagittarius	4.6	90′ × 40′	18^h 03^m 37^s	−24° 23′ 12″
M9	NGC 6333	—	Globular cluster	25.8	Ophiuchus	7.7	9.3′	17^h 19^m 11.8^s	−18° 30′ 58.5″
M10	NGC 6254	—	Globular cluster	14.3	Ophiuchus	6.6	20′	16^h 57^m 8.9^s	−04° 05′ 58.1″
M11	NGC 6705	Wild Duck Cluster	Open cluster	6.2	Scutum	5.8	22.8′	18^h 51.1^m	−06° 16′
M12	NGC 6218	—	Globular cluster	15.7	Ophiuchus	6.7	16′	16^h 47^m 14.2^s	−01° 56′ 54.7″
M13	NGC 6205	Great Hercules Cluster	Globular cluster	22.2	Hercules	5.8	20′	16^h 41^m 41.2^s	+36° 27′ 35.5″
M14	NGC 6402	—	Globular cluster	30.3	Ophiuchus	7.6	11′	17^h 37^m 36.2^s	−03° 14′ 45.3″
M15	NGC 7078	Great Pegasus Cluster	Globular cluster	33	Pegasus	6.2	18′	21^h 29^m 58.3^s	+12° 10′ 01.2″
M16	NGC 6611	Eagle Nebula	H II region nebula with cluster	7	Serpens	6.4	70′ × 50′	18^h 18^m 48^s	−13° 49′
M17	NGC 6618	Omega, Swan, Horseshoe, Lobster, or Checkmark Nebula	H II region nebula with cluster	5–6	Sagittarius	6.0	11′	18^h 20^m 26^s	−16° 10′ 36″
M18	NGC 6613	Black Swan Cluster	Open cluster	4.9	Sagittarius	7.5	9.8′	18^h 19.9^m	−17° 08′
M19	NGC 6273	—	Globular cluster	28.7	Ophiuchus	6.8	17′	17^h 02^m 37.7^s	−26° 16′ 04.6″
M20	NGC 6514	Trifid Nebula	H II region nebula with cluster	5.2	Sagittarius	6.3	28′	18^h 02^m 23^s	−23° 01′ 48″
M21	NGC 6531	Webb's Cross Cluster	Open cluster	4.25	Sagittarius	6.5	14′	18^h 04.6^m	−22° 30′
M22	NGC 6656	Great Sagittarius Cluster	Globular cluster	9.6–11.6	Sagittarius	5.1	32′	18^h 36^m 23.9^s	−23° 54′ 17.1″
M23	NGC 6494	—	Open cluster	2.15	Sagittarius	5.5	35′	17^h 56.8^m	−19° 01′
M24	IC 4715	Small Sagittarius Star Cloud	Milky Way star cloud	~10	Sagittarius	2.5	2°x1°	18^h 17^m	−18° 33′
M25	IC 4725	—	Open cluster	2.0	Sagittarius	4.6	36′	18^h 31.6^m	−19° 15′
M26	NGC 6694	—	Open cluster	5.0	Scutum	8.0	14′	18^h 45.2^m	−09° 24′
M27	NGC 6853	Dumbbell Nebula	Planetary nebula	1.148–1.52	Vulpecula	7.4	8.0′ × 5.6′	19^h 59^m 36.3^s	+22° 43′ 16.1″
M28	NGC 6626	—	Globular cluster	17.9	Sagittarius	6.8	11.2′	18^h 24^m 32.9^s	−24° 52′ 11.4″
M29	NGC 6913	Cooling Tower Cluster	Open cluster	7.2	Cygnus	7.1	7′	20^h 23^m 56^s	+38° 31′ 24″
M30	NGC 7099	Jellyfish Cluster	Globular cluster	27.8–31	Capricornus	7.2	12′	21^h 40^m 22.1^s	−23° 10′ 47.5″
M31	NGC 224	Andromeda Galaxy	Spiral galaxy	2,430–2,650	Andromeda	3.4	3.17° × 1°	00^h 42^m 44.3^s	+41° 16′ 09″
M32	NGC 221	Andromeda Satellite #1	Dwarf elliptical galaxy	2,410–2,570	Andromeda	8.1	8.7′ × 6.5′	00^h 42^m 41.8^s	+40° 51′ 55″
M33	NGC 598	Triangulum/Pinwheel Galaxy	Spiral galaxy	2,380–3,070	Triangulum	5.7	70.8′ × 41.7′	01^h 33^m 50.0^s	+30° 39′ 36.7″
M34	NGC 1039	Spiral Cluster	Open cluster	1.5	Perseus	5.5	35′	02^h 42.1^m	+42° 46′
M35	NGC 2168	Shoe-Buckle Cluster	Open cluster	2.8	Gemini	5.3	28′	06^h 09.1^m	+24° 21′
M36	NGC 1960	Pinwheel Cluster	Open cluster	4.1	Auriga	6.3	12′	05^h 36^m 12^s	+34° 08′ 04″
M37	NGC 2099	Salt and Pepper Cluster	Open cluster	4.511	Auriga	6.2	24′	05^h 52^m 18^s	+32° 33′ 02″
M38	NGC 1912	Starfish Cluster	Open cluster	4.2	Auriga	7.4	21′	05^h 28^m 42^s	+35° 51′ 18″
M39	NGC 7092	Pyramid Cluster	Open cluster	0.8244	Cygnus	4.6	29′	21^h 31^m 42^s	+48° 26′ 00″
M40	—	Winnecke 4	Optical Double	0.51	Ursa Major	8.4	51.7″	12^h 22^m 12.5^s	+58° 04′ 59″
M41	NGC 2287	Little Beehive Cluster	Open cluster	2.3	Canis Major	4.5	38′	06^h 46.0^m	−20° 46′
M42	NGC 1976	Great Orion Nebula	H II region nebula	1.324–1.364	Orion	4.0	65′ × 60′	05^h 35^m 17.3^s	−05° 23′ 28″
M43	NGC 1982	De Mairan's Nebula	H II region nebula (part of the Orion Nebula)	1.3	Orion	9.0	20′ × 15′	05^h 35.6^m	−05° 16′
M44	NGC 2632	Beehive Cluster or Praesepe	Open cluster	0.577	Cancer	3.7	95′	08^h 40.4^m	+19° 59′
M45	—	Pleiades, Seven Sisters or Subaru	Open cluster	0.39–0.46	Taurus	1.6	2°	03^h 47^m 24^s	+24° 07′ 00″
M46	NGC 2437	—	Open cluster	5.4	Puppis	6.0	22.8′	07^h 41.8^m	−14° 49′
M47	NGC 2422	—	Open cluster	1.6	Puppis	4.4	30′	07^h 36.6^m	−14° 30′
M48	NGC 2548	—	Open cluster	1.5	Hydra	5.5	30′	08^h 13.7^m	−05° 45′
M49	NGC 4472	—	Elliptical galaxy	53,600–58,200	Virgo	8.4	10.2′ × 8.3′	12^h 29^m 46.7^s	+08° 00′ 02″
M50	NGC 2323	Heart-Shaped Cluster	Open cluster	3.2	Monoceros	5.9	16′	07^h 03.2^m	−08° 20′
M51	NGC 5194, NGC 5195	Whirlpool Galaxy	Spiral galaxy	19,000–27,000	Canes Venatici	8.4	11.2′ × 6.9′	13^h 29^m 52.7^s	+47° 11′ 43″
M52	NGC 7654	Scorpion Cluster	Open cluster	5.0	Cassiopeia	7.3	13′	23^h 24.2^m	+61° 35′
M53	NGC 5024	—	Globular cluster	58	Coma Berenices	7.6	13′	13^h 12^m 55.3^s	+18° 10′ 05.4″
M54	NGC 6715	—	Globular cluster	87.4	Sagittarius	7.6	12′	18^h 55^m 03.3^s	−30° 28′ 47.5″
M55	NGC 6809	Specter Cluster	Globular cluster	17.6	Sagittarius	6.3	19′	19^h 39^m 59.7^s	−30° 57′ 53.1″
M56	NGC 6779	—	Globular cluster	32.9	Lyra	8.3	8.8′	19^h 16^m 35.6^s	+30° 11′ 00.5″
M57	NGC 6720	Ring Nebula	Planetary nebula	1.6–3.8	Lyra	8.8	230″ × 230″	18^h 53^m 35.1^s	+33° 01′ 45.0″
M58	NGC 4579	—	Barred Spiral galaxy	~63,000	Virgo	9.7	5.9′ × 4.7′	12^h 37^m 43.5^s	+11° 49′ 05″
M59	NGC 4621	—	Elliptical galaxy	55,000–65,000	Virgo	9.6	5.4′ × 3.7′	12^h 42^m 02.3^s	+11° 38′ 49″
M60	NGC 4649	—	Elliptical galaxy	51,000–59,000	Virgo	8.8	7.4′ × 6.0′	12^h 43^m 39.6^s	+11° 33′ 09″
M61	NGC 4303	Swelling Spiral Galaxy	Spiral galaxy	50,200–54,800	Virgo	9.7	6.5′ × 5.8′	12^h 21^m 54.9^s	+04° 28′ 25″
M62	NGC 6266	Flickering Globular	Globular cluster	22.2	Ophiuchus	6.5	15′	17^h 01^m 12.6^s	−30° 06′ 44.5″
M63	NGC 5055	Sunflower Galaxy	Spiral galaxy	37,000	Canes Venatici	8.6	12.6′ × 7.2′	13^h 15^m 49.3^s	+42° 01′ 45″
M64	NGC 4826	Black Eye Galaxy	Spiral galaxy	22,000–26,000	Coma Berenices	8.5	10.7′ × 5.1′	12^h 56^m 43.7^s	+21° 40′ 58″
M65	NGC 3623	Leo Triplet	Barred Spiral galaxy	41,000–42,000	Leo	9.3	8.7′ × 2.5′	11^h 18^m 55.9^s	+13° 05′ 32″
M66	NGC 3627	Leo Triplet	Barred Spiral galaxy	31,000–41,000	Leo	8.9	9.1′ × 4.2′	11^h 20^m 15.0^s	+12° 59′ 30″
M67	NGC 2682	King Cobra or Golden Eye Cluster	Open cluster	2.61–2.93	Cancer	6.1	30′	08^h 51.3^m	+11° 49′
M68	NGC 4590	—	Globular cluster	33.6	Hydra	7.8	11′	12^h 39^m 28.0^s	−26° 44′ 38.6″
M69	NGC 6637	—	Globular cluster	29.7	Sagittarius	7.6	10.8′	18^h 31^m 23.1^s	−32° 20′ 53.1″
M70	NGC 6681	—	Globular cluster	29.4	Sagittarius	7.9	8′	18^h 43^m 12.8^s	−32° 17′ 31.6″
M71	NGC 6838	Angelfish Cluster	Globular cluster	13.0	Sagitta	8.2	7.2′	19^h 53^m 46.5^s	+18° 46′ 45.1″
M72	NGC 6981	—	Globular cluster	53.40–55.74	Aquarius	9.3	6.6′	20^h 53^m 27.7^s	−12° 32′ 14.3″
M73	NGC 6994	—	Asterism	~2.5	Aquarius	9.0	2.8′	20^h 58^m 54^s	−12° 38′
M74	NGC 628	Phantom Galaxy	Spiral galaxy	24,000–36,000	Pisces	9.4	10.5′ × 9.5′	01^h 36^m 41.8^s	+15° 47′ 01″
M75	NGC 6864	—	Globular cluster	67.5	Sagittarius	8.5	6.8′	20^h 06^m 04.8^s	−21° 55′ 16.2″
M76	NGC 650, NGC 651	Little Dumbbell Nebula	Planetary nebula	2.5	Perseus	10.1	2.7′ × 1.8′	01^h 42.4^m	+51° 34′ 31″
M77	NGC 1068	Cetus A or Squid Galaxy	Spiral galaxy	47,000	Cetus	8.9	7.1′ × 6.0′	02^h 42^m 40.7^s	−00° 00′ 48″
M78	NGC 2068	—	Diffuse nebula	1.6	Orion	8.3	8′ × 6′	05^h 46^m 46.7^s	+00° 00′ 50″
M79	NGC 1904	—	Globular cluster	41	Lepus	7.7	8.7′	05^h 24^m 10.6^s	−24° 31′ 27.3″
M80	NGC 6093	—	Globular cluster	32.6	Scorpius	7.3	10′	16^h 17^m 02.4^s	−22° 58′ 33.9″
M81	NGC 3031	Bode's Galaxy	Spiral galaxy	11,400–12,200	Ursa Major	6.9	26.9′ × 14.1′	09^h 55^m 33.2^s	+69° 03′ 55″
M82	NGC 3034	Cigar Galaxy	Starburst galaxy	10,700–12,300	Ursa Major	8.4	11.2′ × 4.3′	09^h 55^m 52.2^s	+69° 40′ 47″
M83	NGC 5236	Southern Pinwheel Galaxy	Barred Spiral galaxy	14,700	Hydra	7.6	12.9′ × 11.5′	13^h 37^m 00.9^s	−29° 51′ 57″
M84	NGC 4374	—	Lenticular galaxy	57,000–63,000	Virgo	9.1	6.5′ × 5.6′	12^h 25^m 03.7^s	+12° 53′ 13″
M85	NGC 4382	—	Lenticular galaxy	56,000–64,000	Coma Berenices	9.1	7.1′ × 5.5′	12^h 25^m 24.0^s	+18° 11′ 28″
M86	NGC 4406	—	Lenticular galaxy	49,000–55,000	Virgo	8.9	8.9′ × 5.8′	12^h 26^m 11.7^s	+12° 56′ 46″
M87	NGC 4486	Virgo A	Elliptical galaxy	51,870–55,130	Virgo	8.6	7.2′ × 6.8′	12^h 30^m 49.4^s	+12° 23′ 28.0″
M88	NGC 4501	—	Spiral galaxy	39,000–56,000	Coma Berenices	9.6	6.9′ × 3.7′	12^h 31^m 59.2^s	+14° 25′ 14″
M89	NGC 4552	—	Elliptical galaxy	47,000–53,000	Virgo	9.8	5.1′ × 4.7′	12^h 35^m 39.8^s	+12° 33′ 23″
M90	NGC 4569	Carabin Galaxy	Spiral galaxy	55,900–61,500	Virgo	9.5	9.5′ × 4.4′	12^h 36^m 49.8^s	+13° 09′ 46″
M91	NGC 4548	—	Barred Spiral galaxy	47,000–79,000	Coma Berenices	10.2	5.4′ × 4.3′	12^h 35^m 26.4^s	+14° 29′ 47″
M92	NGC 6341	—	Globular cluster	26.7	Hercules	6.4	14′	17^h 17^m 07.4^s	+43° 08′ 09.4″
M93	NGC 2447	Critter Cluster	Open cluster	3.6	Puppis	6.0	10′	07^h 44.6^m	−23° 52′
M94	NGC 4736	Crocodile Eye or Cat's Eye Galaxy	Spiral galaxy	14,700–17,300	Canes Venatici	8.2	11.2′ × 9.1′	12^h 50^m 53.1^s	+41° 07′ 14″
M95	NGC 3351	—	Barred Spiral galaxy	31,200–34,000	Leo	9.7	3.1′ × 2.9′	10^h 43^m 57.7^s	+11° 42′ 14″
M96	NGC 3368	—	Spiral galaxy	28,000–34,000	Leo	9.2	7.6′ × 5.2′	10^h 46^m 45.7^s	+11° 49′ 12″
M97	NGC 3587	Owl Nebula	Planetary nebula	2.03	Ursa Major	9.9	3.4′ × 3.3′	11^h 14^m 47.7^s	+55° 01′ 08.5″
M98	NGC 4192	—	Spiral galaxy	44,400	Coma Berenices	10.1	9.8′ × 2.8′	12^h 13^m 48.3^s	+14° 54′ 01.7″
M99	NGC 4254	St. Catherine's Wheel	Spiral galaxy	44,700–55,700	Coma Berenices	9.9	5.4′ × 4.7′	12^h 18^m 49.6^s	+14° 24′ 59″
M100	NGC 4321	Mirror Galaxy	Spiral galaxy	55,000	Coma Berenices	9.3	7.4′ × 6.3′	12^h 22^m 54.9^s	+15° 49′ 21″
M101	NGC 5457	Pinwheel Galaxy	Spiral galaxy	19,100–22,400	Ursa Major	7.9	28.8′ × 26.9′	14^h 03^m 12.6^s	+54° 20′ 57″
M102	NGC 5866	Spindle Galaxy	Lenticular galaxy	50,000	Draco	9.9	4.7′ × 1.9′	15^h 06^m 29.5^s	+55° 45′ 48″
M103	NGC 581	—	Open cluster	10	Cassiopeia	7.4	6′	01^h 33.2^m	+60° 42′
M104	NGC 4594	Sombrero Galaxy	Spiral galaxy	28,700–30,900	Virgo	8.0	9′ × 4′	12^h 39^m 59.4^s	−11° 37′ 23″
M105	NGC 3379	—	Elliptical galaxy	30,400–33,600	Leo	9.3	5.4′ × 4.8′	10^h 47^m 49.6^s	+12° 34′ 54″
M106	NGC 4258	—	Spiral galaxy	22,200–25,200	Canes Venatici	8.4	18.6′ × 7.2′	12^h 18^m 57.5^s	+47° 18′ 14″
M107	NGC 6171	Crucifix Cluster	Globular cluster	20.9	Ophiuchus	7.9	10′	16^h 32^m 31.9^s	−13° 03′ 13.6″
M108	NGC 3556	Surfboard Galaxy	Barred Spiral galaxy	46,000	Ursa Major	10.0	8.7′ × 2.2′	11^h 11^m 31.0^s	+55° 40′ 27″
M109	NGC 3992	Vacuum Cleaner Galaxy	Barred Spiral galaxy	59,500–107,500	Ursa Major	9.8	7.6′ × 4.7′	11^h 57^m 36.0^s	+53° 22′ 28″
M110	NGC 205	Andromeda Satellite #2	Dwarf elliptical galaxy	2,600–2,780	Andromeda	8.5	21.9′ × 11.0′	00^h 40^m 22.1^s	+41° 41′ 07″

Alternative names	Messier Catalogue
Survey type	Astronomical catalogue
Named after	Charles Messier
Published	1774 (preliminary version)

Lists and editions

Observations

Messier objects

Star chart of Messier objects

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