Messier object
The Messier objects are a set of astronomical objects catalogued by Charles Messier in his catalogue of Nebulae and Star Clusters, first published in 1774.
The original motivation behind catalogue was that Messier was a comet hunter and was frustrated by objects which resembled but were not comets and therefore compiled a list of these objects.
The first edition covered 45 objects numbered M1 to M45.
The total list consists of 110 objects, numbered M1 to M110.
The final catalogue was published in 1781 and printed in the Connaissance des Temps in 1784.
Many of these objects are still known by their Messier number.
Some of the most famous Messier objects are:
| Name | Approximate distance
(light years) |
| M1: Crab Nebula | 6,300 |
| M13: Hercules Globular Cluster | 22,000 |
| M16: Eagle Nebula Cluster | 7,000 |
| M20: Trifid Nebula | 2,200 |
| M27: Dumbbell Nebula | 1,250 |
| M31: Andromeda Galaxy | 2,200,000 |
| M33: Triangulum Galaxy | 2,300,000 |
| M42: Orion Nebula | 1,600 |
| M45: Pleiades | 400 |
| M51: Whirlpool Galaxy | 37,000,000 |
| M57: Ring Nebula | 4,100 |
| M63: Sunflower Galaxy | 37,000,000 |
| M64: Black Eye Galaxy NGC 4826 | 17,000,000 |
| M82: (also known as NGC 3034) | 12,000,000 |
| M83: Southern Pinwheel Galaxy | 10,000,000 |
| M87: Virgo A Galaxy | 60,000,000 |
| M97: Owl Nebula | 2,600 |
| M100: (also known as NGC 4321) | 60,000,000 |
| M101: Pinwheel Galaxy | 24,000,000 |
| M104: Sombrero Galaxy | 50,000,000 |
| M107: (also known as NGC 6171) | 20,000 |
See also:
Deep sky object,
New General Catalogue.
External links
- http://www.seds.org/messier/
- http://www.seds.org/messier/xtra/history/CMessier.html
- http://zebu.uoregon.edu/messier.html
Referenced By
1781 | 1848 in science | Aquarius | Aquarius (constellation) | Asterope | Atlantides | Black Eye Galaxy | Cancer (constellation) | Canes Venatici | Canis Major | Charles Messier | Corvus (astronomy) | Corvus (constellation) | Crab Nebula | Draco (constellation) | Dumbbell Nebula | Eagle Nebula | Far infrared astronomy | Great nebula in Orion | Hipparchos | Hipparchus | List of astronomical topics | List of astronomical topics (N-Z) | M100 | M101 | M102 | M107 | M107 (galaxy) | M4 programming language | M 45 | Messier | Messier4 | Messier 107 | Messier 4 | Messier 45 | Methuselah (planet) | Monoceros | Monoceros (constellation) | NGC5866 | NGC 1952 | NGC 1976 | NGC 4321 | NGC 4826 | NGC 5457 | NGC 5866 | NGC 598 | NGC 604 | NGC 6121 | NGC 6171 | NGC 6611 | NGC 6720 | Orion Nebula | PSR B1620-26 b | Pinwheel Galaxy | Pleiades | Ring Nebula | Taurus | Timeline of knowledge about the interstellar and intergalactic medium | Timeline of the interstellar medium and intergalactic medium | Timeline of theories and knowledge on the interstellar and intergalactic medium | Triangulum Galaxy | Trifid Nebula | Vulpecula
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