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Messier Catalogue

 

A catalogue of objects in the sky as seen by Charles Messier (1730-1759). He was actually looking for comets, and he originally listed these objects to avoid getting them confused with comets. (Messier Catalogue, known in various different languages as Messier Catalogue, Messier Catalog, Catalogue Messier, etc)

M1 - The Crab Nebula in Taurus - observed as a supernova in the year 1054

M2 - Globular cluster in Aquarius

M3 - Globular cluster in Canes Venatici

M4 - Globular cluster near Antares in Scorpio

M5 - Globular cluster in Serpens

M6 - The Butterfly Cluster - an open cluster in Sagittarius/Scorpio

M7 - Ptolemy's Cluster - open cluster in Scorpio

M8 - The Lagoon Nebula in Sagittarius

M9 - Globular cluster in Ophiuchus

M10 - Another globular cluster in Ophiuchus

M11 - The Wild Duck Cluster - open star cluster in Scutum

M12 - Another globular cluster in Ophiuchus

M13 - The Great Hercules Globular Cluster

M14 - Another globular cluster in Ophiuchus

M15 - Globular cluster in Pegasus

M16 - The Eagle Nebula - open cluster in Serpens

M17 - The Omega Nebula - an emission nebula in Sagittarius

M18 - An open cluster in Sagittarius

M19 - A small elongated globular cluster in Ophiuchus

M20 - The Trifid Nebula

M21 - Open cluster in Sagittarius

M22 - Globular cluster in Sagittarius

M23 - Open cluster in Sagittarius

M24 - a bright patch of stars in Sagittarius

M25 - Open cluster in Sagittarius

M26 - An open cluster in Scutum

M27 - The Dumb-Bell Nebula in Vulpecula

M28 - Globular cluster in Sagittarius

M29 - Open cluster in Cygnus

M30 - Globular cluster in Capricorn

M31 - The Andromeda Galaxy

M32 - Satellite of the Andromeda Galaxy

M33 - The Triangulum Galaxy

M34 - Open cluster in Perseus

M35 - Open cluster in Gemini

M36 - Open cluster in Auriga

M37 - Open cluster in Auriga

M38 - Open cluster in Auriga

M39 - Open cluster in Cygnus

M40 - A double star in Ursa Major

M41 - Open cluster in Canis Major

M42 - The Great Orion Nebula

M43 - A diffuse nebula, part of M42 in Orion

M44 - The Beehive Cluster in Cancer

M45 - The Pleiades or Seven Sisters - an open star cluster

M46 - The Hyades - open cluster in Puppis

M47 - Open cluster in Puppis

M48 - Open cluster in Hydra

M49 - Elliptical galaxy in Virgo

M50 - Open cluster in Monoceros

M51 - The Whirlpool Galaxy in Canes Venatici

M52 - Open cluster in Cassiopeia

M53 - Globular cluster in Coma Berenices

M54 - Globular cluster in Sagittarius

M55 - Large globular cluster in Sagittarius

M56 - Globular cluster in Lyra

M57 - The Ring Nebula in Lyra - a planetary nebula

M58 - Spiral galaxy in Virgo

M59 - Elliptical galaxy in the Virgo

M60 - Elliptical galaxy in the Virgo

M61 - Spiral galaxy in Virgo group

M62 - Globular cluster Located in Ophiuchus

M63 - The Sunflower Galaxy in Canes Venaciti

M64 - The Blackeye Galaxy / Sleeping Beauty Galaxy

M65 - Spiral galaxy in Leo

M66 - Spiral galaxy in Leo

M67 - Open cluster in Cancer

M68 - Globular cluster in Hydra

M69 - Globular cluster in Sagittarius

M70 - Globular cluster in Sagittarius

M71 - Loose globular cluster in Sagittarius

M72 - Globular cluster in Aquarius

M73 - A group of four stars in Aquarius

M74 - Spiral galaxy in Pisces

M75 - Globular cluster in Sagittarius

M76 - The Little Bar-Bell planetary nebula

M77 - Spiral galaxy in Cetus

M78 - Diffuse nebula shines in Orion

M79 - Globular cluster in Lepus

M80 - Globular cluster in Scorpio

M81 - Bode's Galaxy in Ursa Major

M82 - The Cigar Galaxy in Ursa Major

M83 - Spiral galaxy in Hydra

M84 - Elliptical galaxy in Virgo

M85 - Elliptical galaxy in Coma Berenices

M86 - Elliptical galaxy in Virgo

M87 - Elliptical (radio) galaxy in the Virgo

M88 - Spiral galaxy in Virgo

M89 - Elliptical galaxy in Virgo

M90 - Spiral galaxy in Virgo

M91 - Barred-spiral galaxy in Coma Berenices

M92 - Globular cluster in Hercules

M93 - Open cluster in Puppis

M94 - Spiral galaxy in Canes Venaciti

M95 - Barred-spiral galaxy in Leo

M96 - Spiral galaxy in Leo

M97 - The Owl Nebula in Ursa Major

M98 - Spiral galaxy in Coma Berenices

M99 - Spiral galaxy in Coma Berenices

M100 - Spiral galaxy in Coma Berenices

M101 - The Pinwheel Galaxy in Ursa Major

M102 - This is the same object as M101

M103 - Open cluster in Cassiopeia

M104 - The Sombrero Spiral Galaxy in Virgo

M105 - Elliptical galaxy in Leo

M106 - Spiral galaxy in Canes Venaciti

M107 - Globular cluster in Ophiuchus

M108 - Spiral galaxy in Ursa Major

M109 - Spiral galaxy in Ursa Major

M110 - Satellite galaxy of the Andromeda Galaxy

Messier confirmed in a letter that m102 was actually a duplicate of M101, but the Americans wouldn't believe it.

Other presentations of the Messier Catalogue (generally better done than this) can be seen at:

Arizona - was http://seds.lpl.arizona.edu/messier/data2.html

h2g2

Later in history, Patrick Moore produced the Caldwell Catalogue. Although it's possible to do a Messier Marathon (By nifty use of a telescope, looking at all the Messier Objects in the sky in one night), if you wanted to do a Caldwell Marathon, you'd need to do some FLYING!

Various useful links relating to this and to the Messier Catalogue are listed here:

http://www.hawastsoc.org/deepsky/caldwell.html

http://www.skypub.com/sights/caldwell/caldwell.shtml

http://www.geocities.com/capecanaveral/hall/6380/catalogues/pt_messierlist.html

http://www.geocities.com/capecanaveral/hall/6380/links.htm

http://www.geocities.com/capecanaveral/hall/6380/catalogues/

http://seds.lpl.arizona.edu/messier/data2.htm

http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/pr/97/pn/

http://www.star.le.ac.uk/edu/twn/list.html

http://www.halien.com/TAS/Gallery/messier/index.htm

http://www.astro.wisc.edu/%7Edolan/constellations/messier_list.html

http://www.ras.ucalgary.ca/~gibson/starnames/starnames.html

http://www.rog.nmm.ac.uk/leaflets/white/white.html

http://lifestyleopportunity.org/index/Science/Astronomy/Stars/Dwarf_Stars/

http://www.beebware.com/directory/Science/Astronomy/Stars/Dwarf_Stars/

http://www.jb.man.ac.uk/distance/life/sample/stars/index.html