Messier object

The Crab nebula, the first Messier object

The Messier objects are a collection of over 100 deep sky objects catalogued by Charles Messier. Messier, who created the list between 1758 and 1782, listed various objects such as galaxies, nebulae, globular clusters and binary stars. Messier enjoyed searching for comets in the night sky and created the Messier catalogue as a list of objects often mistaken for comets. This allowed him to quickly check if a newly found object was already known and therefore not a comet. As they only require binoculars or a small telescope to observe them with, they are popular targets for amateur astronomers. The list includes some famous objects such as the Cigar Galaxy, the Andromeda galaxy and the Crab nebula.

History

Charles Messier produced the list with the help of his colleague Pierre Méchain and first published his list in 1774 in the journal of the French Academy of Sciences in Paris in a work entitiled "Mémoires de l’Academie". This early version contained a total of 45 objects. A final version of the catalogue was produced in 1782 and contained a total of 103 deep sky objects. A further 7 objects were added to the catalogue after Messier's death between 1921 and 1996. These were added as evidence was uncovered that they had been observed by Messier or Méchain.

List

The following is a list of the 110 Messier objects.

Messier objects

Designation	Common Name	Type	Constellation	Distance (ly)	Apparent Magnitude	Notes
M1	Crab Nebula	Supernova remnant	Taurus	6,500	8.4	One of the most spectacular Messier objects. The supernova occurred in 1054 AD.
M2		Globular cluster	Aquarius	37,500	6.3	It was first discovered by Maraldi in 1746 and rediscovered by Messier 14 years later. This cluster contains 150,000 stars.
M3		Globular cluster	Canes Venatici	33,900	6.2	M3 is thought to be home to at least 500,000 stars and is well known for the large number of variable stars it contains. Discovered by Messier in 1764, it is just visible to the naked eye if conditions are good.
M4		Globular cluster	Scorpius	7,200	5.9	Discovered by Philippe Loys de Chéseaux in 1745-46, it is one of the nearest clusters to Earth. Unusually for a cluster, it possesses a bar like structure. It also contains much interstellar material.
M5		Globular cluster	Serpens	24,500	6.65	It was first observed by Gottfried Kirch in 1702 and is elliptical in nature.
M6	Butterfly Cluster	Open cluster	Scorpius	1,600	4.2	Discovered by Hodierna at some time before 1654, the Butterfly cluster contains many variable stars. This means the brightness of the cluster varies noticeably.
M7	Ptolemy's Cluster	Open cluster	Scorpius	980	3.3	This cluster has been known since ancient times with the first recorded observation by Claudius Ptolemy. It contains around 80 stars within a volume 25 light years wide.
M8	Lagoon Nebula	Emission nebula	Sagittarius	4,100	6.0	This is a star forming cluster can contains at least 5o stars. The light produced by hot stars results in the nebula "glowing."
M9		Globular cluster	Ophiuchus	25,800	8.42	M9 is located close to the centre of the Milky Way. Although too faint for the naked eye, its 250,000 stars make it a truly impressive cluster.
M10		Globular cluster	Ophiuchus	16,000	6.4
M11	Wild Duck Cluster	Open cluster	Scutum	6,200	6.3	Home to 2,900 stars, the Wild Duck Cluster is one on the most compact clusters known. Through binoculars, it appears diamond shaped. The brightest stars in the cluster form a V shape and are said to look like a flock of ducks in flight.
M12	Gumball Globular	Globular cluster	Ophiuchus	15,700	7.68	M12 is 75 light years across and contains 200,000 stars.
M13	Hercules Globular Cluster	Globular cluster	Hercules	22,200	5.8	Containing 300,000 stars, the Hercules Globular cluster can be seen with the naked eye. Messier added it to his catalogue in in 1764.
M14		Globular cluster	Ophiuchus	30,300	7.6
M15	Great Pegasus Cluster	Globular cluster	Pegasus	33,600	6.2
M16	Eagle Nebula	Emission nebula	Serpens	7,000	6.0	It is best known for the "pillars of creation" photographed by the Hubble Space Telescope in 1995.
M17	Omega Nebula	Emission nebula	Sagittarius	5,000-6,000	6.0	M17 is one of the brightest star-forming nebulae in the Milky Way. It is situated in the Sagittarius arm of the Milky Way. It is also known as the Lobster nebula, Horseshoe nebula, Swan nebula and the Checkmark nebula.
M18		Open cluster	Sagittarius	4,900	7.5
M19		Globular cluster	Ophiuchus	28,700	7.47	One of the most oblate cluster known. However, this may be due to intervening gas and dust, blocking our view.
M20	Trifid Nebula	Dark nebula	Sagittarius	5,200	6.3	Also catalogued as Barnard 85, it is a well known star forming region. Its brightness makes it a popular target for astronomers. It is located near to the Lagoon nebula, M8.
M21		Open cluster	Sagittarius	4,250	6.5
M22	Sagittarius Cluster	Globular cluster	Sagittarius	10,600	5.5	Visible to the naked eye in good conditions.
M23		Open cluster	Sagittarius	2,150	6.9
M24	Sagittarius Star Cloud	Star cloud	Sagittarius	10,000	4.6	It is the densest star cloud visible with binoculars and located in the Sagittarius arm of the Milky Way.
M25		Open cluster	Sagittarius	2,000	4.6
M26		Open cluster	Scutum	5,000	8.0
M27	Dumbbell Nebula	Planetary nebula	Vulpecula	1,360	7.5	It is the second brightest planetary nebula in the night sky.
M28		Globular cluster	Sagittarius	17,900	7.66
M29		Open cluster	Cygnus	4,000	7.1	Is visible with a small telescope
M30		Globular cluster	Capricornus	27,140	7.7
M31	Andromeda Galaxy	Spiral galaxy	Andromeda	2,540,000	3.44	The Andromeda galaxy is our closest major galaxy. It is approaching us at 301 km/s and contains around 1 trillion stars.
M32	Le Gentil	Dwarf galaxy	Andromeda	2,490,000	8.08	M32 is a dwarf galaxy and a satellite galaxy of M31.
M33	Triangulum Galaxy	Spiral galaxy	Triangulum	2.38 to 3.07 million	5.72	The third largest galaxy in the Local group after Andromeda and the Milky Way. It is the nearest spiral galaxy after Andromeda.
M34		Open cluster	Perseus	1,500	5.5
M35		Open cluster	Gemini	2,800	5.3	The cluster contains several hundred stars.
M36	Pinwheel Cluster	Open cluster	Auringa	4,100	6.3
M37		Open cluster	Auriga	4,511	6.2	Lying in the opposite direction from the galactic core, M37 contains over 500 stars, has a mass over 1,500 solar masses and is around 20-25 light years wide.
M38	Starfish Cluster	Open cluster	Auriga	4,200	7.4	Invisible to the naked eye, it contains at least 100 stars.
M39		Open cluster	Cygnus	824.4	5.5	A large open cluster that appears larger than a full moon on the night sky.
M40	Winnecke 4	Double star	Ursa Major	510	5.54	Not a deep sky object and was catalogued by mistake. It is composed of two stars, with magnitudes 9.65 and 10.10. These stars form an optical binary, meaning they line along the same line of sight but are not actually near each other. The furthest star is 1,900 light years away.
M41		Open cluster	Canis Major	2,300	4.5	Relatively loose cluster containing 100 stars.
M42	Orion Nebula	Diffuse nebula	Orion	1,344	4.0	A famous nebula, it is visible to the naked eye. It forms the middle "star" in Orion's sword and covers four times more area than a full moon on the sky.
M43	De Mairan's Nebula	Diffuse nebula	Orion	1,600	9.0	Situated just below Orion's belt, it is separated from the Orion nebula by a dust lane.
M44	Beehive Cluster	Open cluster	Cancer	577	3.7	Visible to the naked eye, this cluster has been knwon since ancient times. It contains at least 1000 stars and has a mass between 500 and 600 that of the sun.
M45	Pleiades	Open cluster	Taurus	444	1.6	Also known as the Seven Sisters, the Pleiades contains over 1,000 stars, though only 14 are visible without binoculars.
M46		Open cluster	Puppis	5,400	6.1	Contains around 500 stars.
M47		Open cluster	Puppis	1,600	4.2
M48		Open cluster	Hydra	1,500	5.5	Has a diameter of 23 light years and contains more than 80 stars.
M49		Elliptical galaxy	Virgo	55,900,000	9.4	Brightest member of the Virgo cluster and the second galaxy found outside the Local Group.
M50	Heart-Shaped Cluster	Open cluster	Monoceros	3,200	5.9	M50 contains at least 100 stars.
M51	Whirlpool Galaxy	Spiral galaxy	Canes Venatici	23,000,000	8.4	A very impressive, it was the first galaxy to be seen with spiral features
M52		Open cluster	Cassiopeia	5,000	5.0
M53		Globular cluster	Coma Berenices	58,000	8.33
M54		Globular cluster	Sagittarius	87,400	8.37	This extragalactic globular cluster was the first to be discovered outside our galaxy. It most likely belongs to the Sagittarius dwarf galaxy that orbits our own Milky Way.
M55	Summer Rose Star	Globular cluster	Sagittarius	17,600	7.42	Almost 100 light years across, it contains 100,000 stars with a mass of 269,000 times that of the sun.
M56		Globular cluster	Lyra	32,900	8.3
M57	Ring Nebula	Planetary nebula	Lyra	2,300	8.8	Famous nebula, sometimes known as the "donut" nebula. It is one of four planetary nebulae in Messier's list.
M58		Spiral galaxy	Virgo	62,000,000	10.5	This barred spiral galaxy is an "anemic" galaxy, meaning there is little contrast between the disk and its spiral arms.
M59		Elliptical galaxy	Virgo	60,000,000	10.6	Messier 59 contains an exceptionally high number of globular clusters, estimated at 2,200.
M60		Elliptical galaxy	Virgo	55,000,000	9.8	Third brightest member of the Virgo Cluster, which contains over 1,300 galaxies.
M61		Spiral galaxy	Virgo	52,500,000	10.18	This spiral galaxy possesses a bar. It is roughly the same size as the Milk Way.
M62		Globular cluster	Ophiuchus	22,200	7.39	M62 is quite a dense cluster and found only 6,100 light years from the centre of the Milky Way.
M63	Sunflower Galaxy	Spiral galaxy	Canes Venatici	37,000,000	9.3	The Sunflower galaxy contains many spiral arms, meaning it is a prototype galaxy for a class called "flocculent spirals."
M64	Black Eye Galaxy	Spiral galaxy	Coma Berenices	24,000,000	9.36	Also known as the Evil Eye galaxy or the Sleeping Beauty galaxy, Messier 64 contains an extraordinarily large dust lane, making for an impressive sight.
M65		Spiral galaxy	Leo	35,000,000	10.25
M66		Spiral galaxy	Leo	36,000,000	8.9	It is the largest and brightest of the Leo triplet of galaxies.
M67	King Cobra Cluster	Open cluster	Cancer	2,610-2,930	6.1	About the size of a full moon, it is one of the oldest clusters known.
M68		Globular cluster	Hydra	33,600	9.67
M69		Globular cluster	Sagittarius	29,700	8.31
M70		Globular cluster	Sagittarius	29,400	9.06
M71		Globular cluster	Sagitta	13,000	6.1
M72		Globular cluster	Aquarius	54,570	9.35
M73		Asterism	Aquarius	Various	9	Formed by four unrelated stars. These stars form a Y shape as they all lie along the same line of sight from Earth.
M74	Phantom Galaxy	Spiral galaxy	Pisces	30,000,000	10	Thought to contain 100 billion stars, the Phantom galaxy is around the same size as the Milky Way.
M75		Globular cluster	Sagittarius	76,500	9.18	M75 has a diameter of 134 light years. It has the highest density classification of 1 and contains over 400,000 stars.
M76	Little Dumbbell Nebula	Planetary nebula	Perseus	2,500	10.1	Sometimes called the Cork nebula or the Barbell nebula, it is named for its resemblance to the larger Dumbbell nebula.
M77	Cetus A	Spiral galaxy	Cetus	47,000,000	9.6	A barred spiral galaxy, it is the nearest Seyfert galaxy to the Milky Way.
M78		Reflection nebula	Orion	1,600	8.3
M79		Globular cluster	Lepus	41,000	8.56
M80		Globular cluster	Scorpius	32,600	7.87	Contains over 200,000 stars.
M81	Bode's Galaxy	Spiral galaxy	Ursa Major	11,800,000	6.94	This Grand design galaxy is one of the largest and nearest to the Local Group.
M82	Cigar Galaxy	Starburst galaxy	Ursa Major	11,400,000-12,400,000	8.41	One of the more impressive galaxies in Messier's catalogue, it is five times brighter than the Milky Way.
M83	Southern Pinwheel Galaxy	Spiral galaxy	Hydra	15,210,000	7.54	Half the size of the Milky Way, Messier 83 contains a bar.
M84		Galaxy	Virgo	60,000,000	10.1	This galaxy may be elliptical or lenticular in nature. It is a member of the Virgo Cluster.
M85		Galaxy	Coma Berenices	60,000,000	10	M85 was thought to be classified as S0 (a lenticular galaxy) but is now thought to be E1 (an elliptical galaxy).
M86		Galaxy	Virgo	52,000,000	9.8	Messier 85 is sometimes classified as an E3 elliptical galaxy or an S0 lenticular galaxy. Nowadays, it tends to be classified as lenticular. The galaxy contains at least 400 billion stars.
M87	Virgo A	Elliptical galaxy	Virgo	53,500,000	9.59	Also known as the Smoking Gun, M87 is a supergiant elliptical galaxy.
M88		Spiral galaxy	Coma Berenices	47,000,000	10.4
M89		Elliptical galaxy	Virgo	50,000,000	10.73
M90		Spiral galaxy	Virgo	58,700,000	10.26	One of the larger spiral galaxies in the Virgo Cluster, it has a diameter of 165,000 light years.
M91		Spiral galaxy	Coma Berenices	63,000,000	11	M91 is a barred spiral galaxy and the faintest of all the Messier objects. This makes it one of the most difficult to observe.
M92		Globular cluster	Hercules	26,700	6.3	Messier 92 has an estimated mass of 330,000 solar masses.
M93		Open cluster	Puppis	3,600	6.0	M93 contains over 80 stars.
M94	Cat's Eye Galaxy	Spiral galaxy	Canes Venatici	16,000,000	8.99	Also known as the Croc's Eye Galaxy, it is 50,000 light years across.
M95		Spiral galaxy	Leo	32,600,000	11.4	M95 is one of the fainter objects in the Messier catalogue. It also possesses a bar and is 46,000 light years across.
M96		Spiral galaxy	Leo	31,000,000	10.1
M97	Owl Nebula	Planetary nebula	Ursa Major	2,030	9.9	Named after two dark patches in the nebula that make it appear like the eyes of an owl, it has a spatial extension of 1.82 light years.
M98		Spiral galaxy	Coma Berenices	44,400,000	11.0	Messier 98 is a member of the Virgo Cluster.
M99	Coma Pinwheel	Spiral galaxy	Coma Berenices	55,700,000	10.4	Sometimes called the Virgo Cluster Pinwheel, M99 contains two large spiral arms, one of which appears distorted.
M100		Spiral galaxy	Coma Berenices	55,000,000	10.1
M101	Pinwheel Galaxy	Spiral galaxy	Ursa Major	20,900,000	7.86	The galaxy is 70% larger than the Milky Way and thought to contain 1 trillion stars.
M102	Spindle Galaxy	Lenticular galaxy	Draco	50,000,000	10.7	M102 is an edge-on lenticular galaxy. Unusual for a lenticular galaxy, it contains a large dust lane, leading some to believe it is in fact a spiral galaxy that has been misclassified.
M103		Open cluster	Cassiopeia	10,000	7.4
M104	Sombrero Galaxy	Spiral galaxy	Virgo	29,300,000	8.98	It is named for its large dust lane and unusually large and bright bulge giving it the appearance of a Sombrero.
M105		Elliptical galaxy	Leo	32,000,000	10.2
M106		Spiral galaxy	Canes Venatici	23,700,000	9.1
M107		Globular cluster	Ophiuchus	20,900	8.85
M108	Surfboard Galaxy	Spiral galaxy	Ursa Major	45,900,000	10.7	Classified as SBbc, it is a barred spiral galaxy with fairly loose arms.
M109		Spiral galaxy	Ursa Major	83,500,000	10.6
M110	Edward Young Star	Elliptical galaxy	Andromeda	2,690,000	8.92	Messier 110 is a dwarf elliptical galaxy found near the Andromeda galaxy.