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Messier catalog
(redirected from Messier object)

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Messier catalog (mĕsyā`), systematic list of nebulae and star clusters. A first list, compiled and published in 1771 by Charles Messier, contained 45 objects. The final list, published in 1784, contained 103 objects; some of these were later removed from the list. Of the remaining objects, about 50 are extragalactic nebulae, i.e., galaxies. Designations from Messier's catalog are frequently used to refer to the brighter nebulae and star clusters; for example, M31 is the Andromeda Galaxy, M1 the Crab Nebula, M42 the Great Nebula in Orion, and M45 the Pleiades.

Messier catalog

List of about 109 star clusters, nebulae, and galaxies compiled by the French astronomer Charles Messier (1730–1817), who discovered many of them. Still a valuable guide to amateur astronomers, it was superseded by the New General Catalogue (NGC); both NGC and M reference numbers remain in common use.
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The bottom line of the bowl, indicated by Beta and Gamma Ursae Majoris, brings us to the next Messier object.
Plough northwards, to the Big Dipper by Streicher, Magda / Monthly Notes of the Astronomical Society of Southern Africa
Each Messier object is accompanied by a spectacular amateur photograph in colour; some of the best of the objects have historical drawings too, and some have drawings by Stoyan himself.
Atlas of the Messier Objects: Highlights of the Deep Sky by Hewitt, Nick / Journal of the British Astronomical Association
The "phantom" tag is because it is the hardest of the 110 Messier objects to spot without professional equipment.
Phantom galaxy revealed by guardian.co.uk / guardian.co.uk
 
 
 
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