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.
M51, known as the Whirlpool Galaxy, is a bright spiral galaxy. At the top of the picture is a companion galaxy which is being disrupted by the gravitational forces of M51.
Larger version
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 |
| 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.
