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Messier catalog
(redirected from Messier object)

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Messier catalog  (ms-, m-sy)
A group of fixed nonstellar celestial objects originally cataloged by the French astronomer Charles Messier (1730-1817) and since expanded from 103 to 110, although several are now considered questionable. Items in the Messier catalog are numbered from M1 (the Crab Nebula) through M110 and include what are now known to be galaxies, nebulae, and globular and open clusters. Messier's purpose was to further the search for comets by listing the indistinct celestial objects that might be mistaken for them; he had no understanding of what the items in his catalog actually were.
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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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