The Messier List
The French astronomer Charles Messier was obsessed throughout his life with recording comets. Fellow astronomers across Europe actively competed to “discover” comets as they streaked across the sky. Being the first to record a particular comet was not only a source of professional pride but also brought patronage from royalty, scientific societies, and universities. Amid the comets, Messier recorded a collection of “other” objects to distinguish them from his main quarry. These fixed objects of the sky were sometimes incorrectly identified as comets and by cataloging them Messier could eliminate them from his main purpose. From 1758 to 1782 using one of the most sophisticated telescopes of his day, he carefully recorded 110 of these “other” objects in the night sky.
Messier was famous in his day for recording comets, but his legacy to astronomy is his now famous objects. Today, they are abbreviated “M” for Messier with a numerical designation in the order in which they were recorded. For example, the nearest galaxy to our own Milky Way is M 31, the Andromeda Galaxy, the thirty-first object in Messier’s catalog. This standard nomenclature has existed for over 200 years. |
M No. | Object Type | Constellation | M 1 | supernova remnant | Taurus | M 2 | globular cluster | Aquarius | M 3 | globular cluster | Canes Venatici | M 4 | globular cluster | Scorpius | M 5 | globular cluster | Serpens Caput | M 6 | open cluster | Scorpius | M 7 | open cluster | Scorpius | M 8 | diffuse nebula | Sagittarius | M 9 | globular cluster | Ophiuchus | M 10 | globular cluster | Ophiuchus | M 11 | open cluster | Scutum | M 12 | globular cluster | Ophiuchus | M 13 | globular cluster | Hercules | M 14 | globular cluster | Ophiuchus | M 15 | globular cluster | Pegasus | M 16 | open cluster | Serpens Cauda | M 17 | diffuse nebula | Sagittarius | M 18 | open cluster | Sagittarius | M 19 | globular cluster | Ophiuchus | M 20 | diffuse nebula | Sagittarius | M 21 | open cluster | Sagittarius | M 22 | globular cluster | Sagittarius | M 23 | open cluster | Sagittarius | M 24 | star cloud | Sagittarius | M 25 | open cluster | Sagittarius | M 26 | open cluster | Scutum | M 27 | planetary nebula | Vulpecula | M 28 | globular cluster | Sagittarius | M 29 | open cluster | Cygnus | M 30 | globular cluster | Capricornus | M 31 | spiral galaxy | Andromeda | M 32 | elliptical galaxy | Andromeda | M 33 | spiral galaxy | Triangulum | M 34 | open cluster | Perseus | M 35 | open cluster | Gemini | M 36 | open cluster | Auriga | M 37 | open cluster | Auriga | M 38 | open cluster | Auriga | M 39 | open cluster | Cygnus | M 40 | double star | Ursa Major | M 41 | open cluster | Canis Major | M 42 | diffuse nebula | Orion | M 43 | diffuse nebula | Orion | M 44 | open cluster | Cancer | M 45 | open cluster | Taurus | M 46 | open cluster | Puppis | M 47 | open cluster | Puppis | M 48 | open cluster | Hydra | M 49 | elliptical galaxy | Virgo | M 50 | open cluster | Monoceros | M 51 | galaxy | Canes Venatici | M 52 | open cluster | Cassiopeia | M 53 | globular cluster | Coma Berenices | M 54 | globular cluster | Sagittarius | M 55 | globular cluster | Sagittarius | M 56 | globular cluster | Lyra | M 57 | planetary nebula | Lyra | M 58 | spiral galaxy | Virgo | M 59 | elliptical galaxy | Virgo | M 60 | elliptical galaxy | Virgo | M 61 | spiral galaxy | Virgo | M 62 | globular cluster | Ophiuchus | M 63 | spiral galaxy | Canes Venatici | M 64 | spiral galaxy | Coma Berenices | M 65 | spiral galaxy | Leo | M 66 | spiral galaxy | Leo | M 67 | open cluster | Cancer | M 68 | globular cluster | Hydra | M 69 | globular cluster | Sagittarius | M 70 | globular cluster | Sagittarius | M 71 | globular cluster | Sagitta | M 72 | globular cluster | Aquarius | M 73 | open cluster | Aquarius | M 74 | spiral galaxy | Pisces | M 75 | globular cluster | Sagittarius | M 76 | planetary nebula | Perseus | M 77 | spiral galaxy | Cetus | M 78 | diffuse reflection nebula | Orion | M 79 | globular cluster | Lepus | M 80 | globular cluster | Scorpius | M 81 | spiral galaxy | Ursa Major | M 82 | irregular galaxy | Ursa Major | M 83 | spiral galaxy | Hydra | M 84 | lenticular galaxy | Virgo | M 85 | lenticular galaxy | Coma Berenices | M 86 | lenticular galaxy | Virgo | M 87 | elliptical galaxy | Virgo | M 88 | spiral galaxy | Coma Berenices | M 89 | elliptical galaxy | Virgo | M 90 | spiral galaxy | Virgo | M 91 | spiral galaxy | Coma Berenices | M 92 | globular cluster | Hercules | M 93 | open cluster | Puppis | M 94 | spiral galaxy | Canes Venatici | M 95 | spiral galaxy | Leo | M 96 | spiral galaxy | Leo | M 97 | planetary nebula | Ursa Major | M 98 | spiral galaxy | Coma Berenices | M 99 | spiral galaxy | Coma Berenices | M 100 | spiral galaxy | Coma Berenices | M 101 | spiral galaxy | Ursa Major | M 102 | lenticular galaxy | Ursa Major | M 103 | open cluster | Casseopeia | M 104 | spiral galaxy | Virgo | M 105 | elliptical galaxy | Leo | M 106 | spiral galaxy | Canes Venatici | M 107 | globular cluster | Ophiuchus | M 108 | spiral galaxy | Ursa Major | M 109 | spiral galaxy | Ursa Major | M 110 | elliptical galaxy | Andromeda |
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