Charles Messier

Charles Messier (June 26, 1730 – April 12, 1817) was a French astronomer who in 1774 published a catalogue of 45 deep sky objects such as nebulae and star clusters. The purpose of the catalogue was to help comet hunters (like himself) and other astronomical observers to distinguish between permanent and transient objects in the sky. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... June 26 is the 177th day of the year (178th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 188 days remaining. ... Events Pope Clement XII elected September 17 - Change of emperor of the Ottoman Empire from Ahmed III (1703-1730) to Mahmud I (1730-1754) Anna Ivanova (Anna I of Russia) became czarina Births April 16 - Henry Clinton, British general (d. ... April 12 is the 102nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (103rd in leap years). ... 1817 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... A giant Hubble mosaic of the Crab Nebula. ... Chesma Column in Tsarskoe Selo, commemorating the end of the Russo-Turkish War. ... An astronomical catalog or catalogue is a list or tabulation of astronomical objects, typically grouped together because they share a common type, morphology, origin, means of detection, or method of discovery. ... Deep sky object (DSO) is a term used often in amateur astronomy to denote objects in the night sky other than solar system objects (such as planets, comets and asteroids), single stars and multiple star systems. ... The Triangulum Emission Nebula NGC 604 lies in a spiral arm of Galaxy M33, 2. ... Globular Cluster M92 in the Hercules constellation. ... Comet Hale-Bopp For other uses, see Comet (disambiguation). ...

Messier was born in Badonviller (in the Lorraine région of France), the 10th of 12 children of catchpole Nicolas Messier and Francoise b. Grandblaise. Six of his brothers and sisters died young, and in 1741, his father died. Charles' interest in astronomy was stimulated by the appearance of a great 6-tailed comet in 1744 and by an annular Solar eclipse visible from his hometown on July 25, 1748. Badonviller is a town and commune of the Meurthe-et-Moselle département, in the Lorraine région of France. ... Location Administration Capital Metz Regional President Jean-Pierre Masseret (PS) (since 2004) Départements Meurthe-et-Moselle Meuse Moselle Vosges Arrondissements 19 Cantons 157 Communes 2,337 Statistics Land area1 23,547 km² Population (Ranked 11th)  - January 1, 2005 est. ... France is divided into 26 régions: 21 of these are in the continental part of metropolitan France, one is Corse on the island of Corsica (although strictly speaking Corse is in fact a territorial collectivity, not a région, but is referred to as a région in common... Catchpole is a rare surname derived from a law enforcement implement found in medieval England. ... // Events April 10 - Austrian army attack troops of Frederick the Great at Mollwitz August 10 - Raja of Travancore defeats Dutch East India Company naval expedition at Battle of Colachel December 19 - Vitus Bering dies in his expedition east of Siberia December 25 - Anders Celsius develops his own thermometer scale Celsius... // Events The third French and Indian War, known as King Georges War, breaks out at Port Royal, Nova Scotia The First Saudi State founded by Mohammed Ibn Saud Prague occupied by Prussian armies Ongoing events War of the Austrian Succession (1740-1748) Births January 10 - Thomas Mifflin, fifth President... Photo taken during the 1999 eclipse. ... July 25 is the 206th day (207th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 159 days remaining. ... Events April 24 - A congress assembles at Aix-la-Chapelle with the intent to conclude the struggle known as the War of Austrian Succession - at October 18 - The Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle is signed to end the war Adam Smith begins to deliver public lectures in Edinburgh Building of...

In 1751 he entered the employ of the astronomer of the Navy, Joseph Nicolas Delisle, who instructed him to keep careful records of his observations. Messier's first documented observation was that of the Mercury transit of May 6, 1753. Events Adam Smith is appointed professor of logic at the University of Glasgow March 25 - For the last time, New Years Day is legally on March 25 in England and Wales. ... The French Navy (Marine Nationale) is the maritime arm of the French military and the largest Western European navy in terms of personnel. ... Joseph-Nicolas Delisle (4 April 1688 - 1768) was a French astronomer. ... A transit of Mercury across the Sun takes place when the planet Mercury comes between the Sun and the Earth, and Mercury is seen as a small black dot moving across the face of the Sun. ... May 6 is the 126th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (127th in leap years). ... 1753 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...

His catalogue

The first version of Messier's catalogue contained 45 objects and was published in the 1774 journal of the Academy of Sciences in Paris. By the time the final version of the catalogue was published in 1781, the catalogue had grown to 103 'Messier Objects'. On several different occasions between 1921 and 1966, astronomers and historians discovered evidence of another seven deep-sky objects that were observed by Messier and/or his friend and assistant Pierre Mechain shortly after the final version was published. These seven objects, M104 through M110, are accepted by many astronomers as "official" Messier objects. The objects' designations, from M1 to M110, are still in use by professional and amateur astronomers today. Chesma Column in Tsarskoe Selo, commemorating the end of the Russo-Turkish War. ... Louis XIV visiting the Académie in 1671 The French Academy of Sciences (Académie des sciences) is a learned society, founded in 1666 by Louis XIV at the suggestion of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, to encourage and protect the spirit of French scientific research. ... Part of the Paris skyline with from left to right: Montparnasse Tower, Eiffel Tower, and in the background, towers of neighboring La Défense. ... 1781 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Table of images of all 110 Messier objects. ... 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. ... 1921 (MCMXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ... Pierre François André Méchain (August 16, 1744 – September 20, 1804) was a French astronomer. ... Messier Object 104, the Sombrero Galaxy. ... The Elliptical Galaxy M110 (also known as Messier Object 110, Messier 110, M110, or NGC 205) is an elliptical galaxy in the Andromeda constellation, a satellite of the Andromeda Galaxy, and a member of the Local Group galaxies. ... The Crab Nebula (catalogue designations M1, NGC 1952) is a supernova remnant in the constellation of Taurus. ... M110 refers to: Messier 110 — a Messier object and an elliptical galaxy in the Andromeda constellation. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Skygazing. ...

The catalog is not scientifically organized by object type or by location (as the later New General Catalogue would be). Nonetheless, the Messier catalog comprises examples of every known deep sky object, including galaxies, planetary nebulae, open clusters, and globular clusters. Because these objects were accessible to the relatively small aperture telescope (approximately 102 mm, or 4 inches) used by Messier to study the sky, they are among the most spectacular deep sky objects available to modern amateur astronomers using much better equipment. Furthermore almost all of the Messier objects are among the closest to our planet in their respective classes, which makes them heavily studied with professional class instruments that today can resolve very small and visually spectacular details in them. Professional astronomers still refer to objects by their Messier designation, and in amateur astronomy they are among the most frequently visited deep sky objects. The "Messier Marathon," includes the Crab Nebula (M1) to a small elliptical galaxy near Andromeda (M110). In Messier marathons, many amateur astronomers compete to view all 110 of these objects in a single dusk-to-dawn session, usually in March, when conditions are most favorable. Many of the Messier objects can be seen in binoculars or small 50 mm telescopes used as finders on larger telescopes. A few Messiers are naked eye objects: examples include a globular cluster, M13 in Hercules, and more readily, M31, the Andromeda Galaxy, as well as M42, the Orion Nebula, and M45, also known as the Pleiades or Seven Sisters. The New General Catalogue (NGC) is the most well-known catalogue of deep sky objects in amateur astronomy. ... This article is about a celestial body. ... NGC 6543, the Cats Eye Nebula A planetary nebula is an astronomical object consisting of a glowing shell of gas formed by certain types of stars at the end of their lives. ... An open cluster is a group of stars (star cluster) that were born at the same time from a molecular cloud, and are still near to each other. ... A globular cluster is a spherical bundle of stars (star cluster) that orbits a galaxy as a satellite. ... 50 cm refracting telescope at Nice Observatory. ... Deep sky object (DSO) is a term used often in amateur astronomy to denote objects in the night sky other than solar system objects (such as planets, comets and asteroids), single stars and multiple star systems. ... Deep sky object (DSO) is a term used often in amateur astronomy to denote objects in the night sky other than solar system objects (such as planets, comets and asteroids), single stars and multiple star systems. ... The Crab Nebula (catalogue designations M1, NGC 1952) is a supernova remnant in the constellation of Taurus. ... Messier marathon is an attempt undertaken by amateur astronomers to find as many Messier objects as possible during one night. ... Messier Object 13, the Great Globular Cluster in Hercules; one of the most prominent and best known globular clusters of the Northern celestial hemisphere. ... Hercules is the fifth largest of the 88 modern constellations. ... The Andromeda Galaxy (also known as Messier 31, M31, or NGC 224; older texts often call it the Andromeda Nebula) is a barred spiral galaxy approximately 2. ... The entire Orion Nebula in visible light Optical images reveal clouds of gas and dust in the Orion Nebula; an infrared image (right) reveals the new stars shining within. ... The Pleiades are an open cluster dominated by hot blue stars surrounded by reflection nebulosity The Pleiades (also known as M45 or the Seven Sisters) is an open cluster in the constellation of Taurus. ... Seven Sisters may refer to: The Pleiades, seven sisters who are companions of Artemis in Greek mythology The Pleiades, a star cluster named for the mythological characters The Hesperides of Greek mythology The Seven Sisters, fictional characters from the Forgotten Realms Geographical locations: Two places in England: Seven Sisters, Sussex...

Many of the objects in the Messier catalog were discovered by his assistant Pierre Mechain.

Two objects in the Messier catalog are not deep-sky objects but rather small groupings of stars that appeared nebulous and fuzzy through Messier's optics. The object designated M73 is an asterism, a Y-shaped figure of four stars, while M40 is nothing more than a double star in Ursa Major. M73 (also known as NGC 6994) is a group of four stars very close to each other in the constellation of Aquarius. ... In astronomy, an asterism is a recognized pattern of stars seen in Earths sky which is neither an official constellation nor a true star cluster. ... Winnecke 4 (also known as Messier Object 40 or WNC 4) is a double star in the constellation Ursa Major. ... When two stars are so nearly in the same direction as seen from Earth that they appear to be a single star to the naked eye but may be separated by the use of telescopes, they are referred to as a double star. ... Ursa Major (Ursa Maior in Latin) is a constellation visible throughout the year in the northern hemisphere. ...

Another object, M102, may be the 10th magnitude galaxy NGC 5866 in Draco. This is a disputed object; a considerable body of scholarship indicates that this is a bookkeeping error and a double entry for M101, which lies 9 degrees almost due west. A dissenting view is that Messier correctly identified the object. The major alternate designation, universally accepted, is NGC 5866. Whatever the merits of this debate, NGC 5866 is winning a low-key popular struggle to assume the identity of M102. This is not due to any academic resolution of the issues, but because makers of computer databases for modern amateur telescopes and sky software for personal computers don't like to have a blank space in their Messier list and typically prefer not to send users back to M101. Here the goal is to maximize viewing pleasure regardless of scholastic accuracy. It is true that NGC 5866 is bright enough to have been identified by Messier's equipment and like the other Messier objects is readily viewed in small aperture or "back yard" instruments. Galaxy M102. ... The Spindle Galaxy in Draco (also known as the Spindle Galaxy, Lenticular Galaxy NGC 5866 or NGC 5866) is a lenticular galaxy, type S0_3, in the Draco constellation. ... Draco (Latin for Dragon) is a far northern constellation that is circumpolar for many northern hemisphere observers. ...

Some of the Messier objects have been so frequently photographed and reproduced that they are part of the popular culture. For example, the closing credit sequence of the 1960s show "The Outer Limits," included spooky music and a photograph of M104, an edge on galaxy bisected by a dark lane of dust. M104 is nicknamed "the Sombrero Galaxy." The naked eye object M45 also serves as the corporate logo for the Subaru corporation in Japan. The Outer Limits is a television series from the United States. ... M104, the Sombrero Galaxy. ...

The Messier crater on the Moon and the asteroid 7359 Messier were named in his honor. Messier is a relatively young lunar impact crater located on the Mare Fecunditatis. ... Bulk composition of the Moons mantle and crust estimated, weight percent Oxygen 42. ... Asteroid, minor planet, and planetoid are synonyms, and are used to indicate a diverse group of small celestial bodies that drift in the solar system in orbit around the Sun. ...

See also

• Messier object
• List of Messier objects
• Messier marathon

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. ... Table of images of all 110 Messier objects. ... Messier marathon is an attempt undertaken by amateur astronomers to find as many Messier objects as possible during one night. ...

Sources

• O'Meara, Stephen James (1998). Deep Sky Companions: The Messier Objects. Cambridge University Press.

External links

• SEDS: Charles Messier
• Amateur Photos of Charles Messier Objects
• Messier Marathon
• New General Catalog and Index Catalog revisions