Sunday, December 19, 2010

Amateur Astronomer's List of Messier Objects


Below is a list of the 110 messier objects which are a set of astronomical objects catalogued by the French astronomer Charles Messier in his "Catalogue des Nébuleuses et des Amas d'Étoiles" ("Catalogue of Nebulae and Star Clusters"), originally published in 1771. The original motivation of the catalogue was that Messier was a comet hunter, and was frustrated by objects which resembled but were not comets.

The first edition covered 45 objects numbered M1 to M45. The total list published by Messier finally contained 103 objects, but the list "got an independent life" by successive additions by other astronomers. All of the Messier objects are visible with binoculars or small telescopes (under favorable conditions); therefore they are popular viewing objects for amateur astronomers. In early spring, astronomers sometimes gather for "Messier Marathons", when all of the objects can be viewed over a single night.

THE TABLE:

Messier No.

NGC No.

Common Name

Constellation

Apparent Magnitude

Object type

M1

NGC 1952

Crab Nebula

Taurus

9.0

Supernova remnant

M2

NGC 7089

Aquarius

7.5

Globular cluster

M3

NGC 5272

Canes Venatici

7.0

Globular cluster

M4

NGC 6121

Scorpius

7.5

Globular cluster

M5

NGC 5904

Serpens

7.0

Globular cluster

M6

NGC 6405

Butterfly Cluster

Scorpius

4.5

Open cluster

M7

NGC 6475

Ptolemy Cluster

Scorpius

3.5

Open cluster

M8

NGC 6523

Lagoon Nebula

Sagittarius

6.0

Cluster with nebula

M9

NGC 6333

Ophiuchus

9.0

Globular cluster

M10

NGC 6254

Ophiuchus

7.5

Globular cluster

M11

NGC 6705

Wild Duck Cluster

Scutum

7.0

Open cluster

M12

NGC 6218

Ophiuchus

8.0

Globular cluster

M13

NGC 6205

Great Globular Cluster in Hercules

Hercules

5.8

Globular cluster

M14

NGC 6402

Ophiuchus

9.5

Globular cluster

M15

NGC 7078

Cúmulo de Pegaso

Pegasus

7.5

Globular cluster

M16

NGC 6611

Eagle Nebula

Serpens

6.5

Cluster with H II region

M17

NGC 6618

Horseshoe Nebula

Sagittarius

6.0

Cluster with H II region

M18

NGC 6613

Sagittarius

8.0

Open cluster

M19

NGC 6273

Ophiuchus

8.5

Globular cluster

M20

NGC 6514

Trifid Nebula

Sagittarius

6.3

Cluster with H II region

M21

NGC 6531

Sagittarius

7.0

Open cluster

M22

NGC 6656

Sagittarius Cluster

Sagittarius

5.1

Globular cluster

M23

NGC 6494

Sagittarius

6.0

Open cluster

M24

NGC 6603

Sagittarius Star Cloud

Sagittarius

4.6

Milky Way star cloud

M25

IC 4725

Sagittarius

4.9

Open cluster

M26

NGC 6694

Scutum

9.5

Open cluster

M27

NGC 6853

Dumbbell Nebula

Vulpecula

7.5

Planetary nebula

M28

NGC 6626

Sagittarius

8.5

Globular cluster

M29

NGC 6913

Cygnus

9.0

Open cluster

M30

NGC 7099

Capricornus

8.5

Globular cluster

M31

NGC 224

Andromeda Galaxy

Andromeda

3.4

Spiral galaxy

M32

NGC 221

Andromeda

10.0

Dwarf elliptical galaxy

M33

NGC 598

Triangulum Galaxy

Triangulum

5.7

Spiral galaxy

M34

NGC 1039

Perseus

6.0

Open cluster

M35

NGC 2168

Gemini

5.5

Open cluster

M36

NGC 1960

Auriga

6.5

Open cluster

M37

NGC 2099

Auriga

6.0

Open cluster

M38

NGC 1912

Auriga

7.0

Open cluster

M39

NGC 7092

Cygnus

5.5

Open cluster

M40

Winnecke 4

Ursa Major

9.0

Double star WNC4

M41

NGC 2287

Canis Major

4.5

Open cluster

M42

NGC 1976

Orion Nebula

Orion

4.0

H II region

M43

NGC 1982

De Mairan's Nebula

Orion

7.0

H II region

M44

NGC 2632

Beehive Cluster

Cancer

3.7

Open cluster

M45

Pleiades

Taurus

1.6

Open cluster

M46

NGC 2437

Puppis

6.5

Open cluster

M47

NGC 2422

Puppis

4.5

Open cluster

M48

NGC 2548

Hydra

5.5

Open cluster

M49

NGC 4472

Virgo

10.0

Elliptical galaxy

M50

NGC 2323

Monoceros

7.0

Open cluster

M51

NGC 5194, 5195

Whirlpool Galaxy

Canes Venatici

8.4

Spiral galaxy

M52

NGC 7654

Cassiopeia

8.0

Open cluster

M53

NGC 5024

Coma Berenices

8.5

Globular cluster

M54

NGC 6715

Sagittarius

8.5

Globular cluster

M55

NGC 6809

Sagittarius

7.0

Globular cluster

M56

NGC 6779

Lyra

9.5

Globular cluster

M57

NGC 6720

Ring Nebula

Lyra

8.8

Planetary nebula

M58

NGC 4579

Virgo

11.0

Barred spiral galaxy

M59

NGC 4621

Virgo

11.5

Elliptical galaxy

M60

NGC 4649

Virgo

10.5

Elliptical galaxy

M61

NGC 4303

Virgo

10.5

Spiral galaxy

M62

NGC 6266

Ophiuchus

8.0

Globular cluster

M63

NGC 5055

Sunflower Galaxy

Canes Venatici

8.5

Spiral galaxy

M64

NGC 4826

Black Eye Galaxy

Coma Berenices

9.0

Spiral galaxy

M65

NGC 3623

Leo

10.5

Barred spiral galaxy

M66

NGC 3627

Leo

10.0

Barred spiral galaxy

M67

NGC 2682

Cancer

7.5

Open cluster

M68

NGC 4590

Hydra

9.0

Globular cluster

M69

NGC 6637

Sagittarius

9.0

Globular cluster

M70

NGC 6681

Sagittarius

9.0

Globular cluster

M71

NGC 6838

Sagitta

8.5

Globular cluster

M72

NGC 6981

Aquarius

10.0

Globular cluster

M73

NGC 6994

Aquarius

9.0

Asterism

M74

NGC 628

Pisces

10.5

Spiral galaxy

M75

NGC 6864

Sagittarius

9.5

Globular cluster

M76

NGC 650, 651

Little Dumbbell Nebula

Perseus

10.1

Planetary nebula

M77

NGC 1068

Cetus

10.5

Spiral galaxy

M78

NGC 2068

Orion

8.0

Diffuse nebula

M79

NGC 1904

Lepus

8.5

Globular cluster

M80

NGC 6093

Scorpius

8.5

Globular cluster

M81

NGC 3031

Bode's Galaxy

Ursa Major

6.9

Spiral galaxy

M82

NGC 3034

Cigar Galaxy

Ursa Major

9.5

Barred spiral galaxy

M83

NGC 5236

Southern Pinwheel Galaxy

Hydra

8.5

Barred spiral galaxy

M84

NGC 4374

Virgo

11.0

Lenticular galaxy

M85

NGC 4382

Coma Berenices

10.5

Lenticular galaxy

M86

NGC 4406

Virgo

11.0

Lenticular galaxy

M87

NGC 4486

Virgo

11.0

Elliptical galaxy

M88

NGC 4501

Coma Berenices

11.0

Spiral galaxy

M89

NGC 4552

Virgo

11.5

Elliptical galaxy

M90

NGC 4569

Virgo

11.0

Spiral galaxy

M91

NGC 4548

Coma Berenices

11.0

Barred Spiral galaxy

M92

NGC 6341

Hercules

7.5

Globular cluster

M93

NGC 2447

Puppis

6.5

Open cluster

M94

NGC 4736

Canes Venatici

9.5

Spiral galaxy

M95

NGC 3351

Leo

11.0

Barred Spiral galaxy

M96

NGC 3368

Leo

10.5

Spiral galaxy

M97

NGC 3587

Owl Nebula

Ursa Major

9.9

Planetary nebula

M98

NGC 4192

Coma Berenices

11.0

Spiral galaxy

M99

NGC 4254

Coma Berenices

10.5

Spiral galaxy

M100

NGC 4321

Coma Berenices

10.5

Spiral galaxy

M101

NGC 5457

Pinwheel Galaxy

Ursa Major

7.9

Spiral galaxy

M102

--------------

M103

NGC 581

Cassiopeia

7.0

Open cluster

M104

NGC 4594

Sombrero Galaxy

Virgo

9.5

Spiral galaxy

M105

NGC 3379

Leo

11.0

Elliptical galaxy

M106

NGC 4258

Canes Venatici

9.5

Spiral galaxy

M107

NGC 6171

Ophiuchus

10.0

Globular cluster

M108

NGC 3556

Ursa Major

11.0

Spiral galaxy

M109

NGC 3992

Ursa Major

11.0

Barred Spiral galaxy

M110

NGC 205

Andromeda

10.0

Dwarf elliptical galaxy

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