Friday 19 January 2018

Space Stuff - Messier Objects Part 2

Charles Messier (1730 - 1817) was a French astronomer who spent much of his life identifying various star clusters, galaxies, nebulae, and other notable occupants of our glorious heavens. Ironically, it wasn't even his aim to create a comprehensive list or catalogue of interesting sights - he actually did it purely as part of his efforts to hunt down comets which was his primary goal - but make a list he did, and such was the importance of it and the many discoveries on it, the list of 'Messier Objects' has remained in regular use to this day by amateurs and professionals alike.

This could be down to the fact that the list contains many of the biggest, brightest, and best-known (and therefore most popular) objects to be found. Indeed, many of us will have grown up seeing or hearing about a lot of them, myself included, without ever knowing what they are or even what they're called. There are 110 objects in Messier's catalogue too, which means simpletons like me often forget about some or get others mixed up, so I figured it might be worth listing them here. The second such post is therefore thus. The pics should all be 1200x900, hope you like them :)

Part One can be found here

M41 / Open Cluster
M42 / Nebula
"Orion Nebula"
M43 / Nebula
"De Mairan's Nebula"
M44 / Open Cluster
"Beehive Cluster"
M45 / Open Cluster
"Pleiades, a.k.a. The Seven Sisters"
M46 / Open Cluster

M47 / Open Cluster
M48 / Open Cluster

M49/ Elliptical Galaxy
M50 / Open Cluster

M51 / Spiral Galaxy
"Whirlpool Galaxy"
M52 / Open Cluster

M53 / Globular Cluster
M54 / Globular Cluster

M55 / Globular Cluster
M56 / Globular Cluster

M57 / Planetary Nebula
"Ring Nebula"
M58 / Barred Spiral Galaxy

M59 / Elliptical Galaxy
M60 / Elliptical Galaxy

M61 / Spiral Galaxy
M62 / Globular Cluster

M63 / Spiral Galaxy
"Sunflower Galaxy"
M64 / Spiral Galaxy
"Black Eye Galaxy"

M65 / Barred Spiral Galaxy
"Leo Triplet"
M66 / Barred Spiral Galaxy
"Leo Triplet"
M67 / Open Cluster
M68 / Globular Cluster

M69 / Globular Cluster
M70 / Globular Cluster

M71 / Globular Cluster
M72 / Globular Cluster

M73 / Asterism
M74 / Spiral Galaxy

M75 / Globular Cluster
M76 / Planetary Nebula
"Little Dumbbell Nebula"
M77 / Spiral Galaxy
"Cetus A"
M78 / Diffuse Nebula

M79 / Globular Cluster
M80 / Globular Cluster
 

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