sky safari: charles messier

Sky Safari: Andromeda by Kochava Yerushalmit


Labeled All-sky ViewLabeled All-sky View


Crab Nebula (M1) – T1 hmCrab Nebula (M1) – T1 hm

Supernova remnant in constellation Taurus

Distance: 6500 LY

Size of nebula: about 15 LY

Size of pulsar (neutron star) at center: about 10-15 km

Supernova witnessed by Chinese and possibly by native Americans in 1054

Nebula discovered in 1731 by John Bevis of London, then independently by Charles Messier in 1758


Hotel de ClunyHotel de Cluny

In 1751, Messier got a job as a clerk and draftsman for the Royal Naval Astronomer, Joseph Nicolas Delisle.

The observatory was located in the Hotel de Cluny, a monastery guest house built in the 15th century. In Messier’s time, it was rented to the French Royal Navy.

The observatory was in the pyramid-shaped top of the central tower seen here.


Mercury Transit, November 2006Mercury Transit, November 2006

Mercury’s shadow at lower left, sun spot also near upper left limb.

09 November 2006 19:58:58 UTC

David Levy’s Jarnac Observatory, Arizona

Picture and caption are courtesy of Slooh member Derek Hirons


Route of Halley’s Comet as calculated by DelisleRoute of Halley’s Comet as calculated by Delisle

Expected route of Halley’s comet in 1758, as calculated by Nicolas Delisle, shown on a star chart drawn by Charles Messier.

Unfortunately, Delisle had made an error in calculation, and was therefore requesting that Messier search for the comet in the wrong part of the sky.

Messier later wrote: “I was a loyal servant of M. Delisle, I lived with him in his house, and I conformed with his command.”


Crab Nebula diagrammed by MessierCrab Nebula diagrammed by Messier

While searching in the wrong place for Halley’s comet, Messier discovered a faint fuzzy spot near the star Zeta Tauri – but it didn’t move, so it wasn’t a comet.

Messier later wrote: “I discovered above the southern horn, and little distant from the star Zeta of that constellation, a whitish light, elongated in the form of the light of a candle, which didn't contain any star.”


Crab Nebula (M1) – T1 wfCrab Nebula (M1) – T1 wf

Supernova remnant in constellation Taurus

Distance: 6500 LY

Size of nebula: about 15 LY

Size of pulsar (neutron star) at center: about 10-15 km

Nebula discovered in 1731 by John Bevis of London, then independently by Charles Messier in 1758

Nebula in center of this wide-field view; bright star Zeta Tauri is below/left of nebula


Route of Halley’s Comet as observed by MessierRoute of Halley’s Comet as observed by Messier

Messier finally found Halley’s comet in January 1759, while searching the sky in the area of Pisces.

This sky chart, drawn by Messier, shows his observations.

An amateur German astronomer had already sighted the return of Halley’s comet in December 1758, but Messier didn’t know that at the time.


Venus Transit, June 2004Venus Transit, June 2004

Venus Transit seen on Slooh

08 June 2004 11:22:36 UTC

Canary Islands Dome 2 High Mag

Picture and caption are courtesy of Slooh member Derek Hirons


Rich Globular Cluster (M3) – T2 hmRich Globular Cluster (M3) – T2 hm

Globular cluster in constellation Canes venatici

Distance: 30,000 LY

Size: 160 LY

Age: 12-14 billion years

Discovered by Charles Messier in 1764.


Rich Globular Cluster (M3) – T1 hmRich Globular Cluster (M3) – T1 hm

Globular cluster in constellation Canes venatici

Distance: 30,000 LY

Size: 160 LY

Age: 12-14 billion years

Mass: about 800,000 solar masses

One of the largest globular clusters known


Messier Drawing of Orion NebulaMessier Drawing of Orion Nebula

Drawing of the Orion Nebula, M42 and M43, by Charles Messier in 1774.

Messier’s description of M42:

“The beautiful nebula in the sword of Orion, around the star Theta which it contains [together] with three other smaller stars which one cannot see but with good instruments. . . . Messier has entered into the great details in this great nebula; he has created a drawing, made with the greatest care, which one can see in the Memoirs of the Academy for 1771, plate VIII. It was Huygens who discovered it in 1656: it has been observed since by many astronomers.”

Messier’s description of M43:

“The little star surrounded by nebulosity and which is below the nebula of the sword of Orion. M. Messier has included it in the drawing of the Great [Nebula].”


Velvet Cluster (M46) – T1 hmVelvet Cluster (M46) – T1 hm

Open cluster in constellation Puppis

Distance: 5000 LY

Size: 40 LY

Age: 300 million years

Discovered by Charles Messier in 1771

High-mag view shows center of cluster

Planetary nebula NGC 2438 is not part of cluster; it is apparently a foreground object, estimated distance 3000 LY


Velvet Cluster (M46) and Open Cluster M47 – T1 wfVelvet Cluster (M46) and Open Cluster M47 – T1 wf

Open cluster in constellation Puppis

Distance: 5000 LY

Size: 40 LY

Age: 300 million years


Wide-field view shows M46 at center, M47 at right, NGC 2423 above M47

Distance of M47: 2000 LY

Size of M47: 18 LY


Dumbbell Nebula (M27 ) – T1 hmDumbbell Nebula (M27 ) – T1 hm

Planetary nebula in constellation Vulpecula

Distance: 1000 LY

Size: 1.5 LY

Age: a few thousand years


Messier’s description: “Nebula without star, discovered in Vulpecula . . . it appears of oval shape.”


Portrait of Charles Messier, 1771Portrait of Charles Messier, 1771

This portrait of Charles Messier was painted in 1771, when he was 40 years old.

Messier wrote: "This portrait is a good likeness, except that I appear younger than I am, and I have been given a better expression than I have."

Around that time he also published the first version of his catalog (up to M45); became a member of the French Académie Royale des Sciences [Royal Academy of Sciences]; and was promoted to the position of Royal Naval Astronomer.


Whirlpool Galaxy (M51 ) – T2 hmWhirlpool Galaxy (M51 ) – T2 hm

Spiral galaxy in constellation Canes venatici

Distance: 30 million LY

Size: 100,000 LY


Companion galaxy NGC 5195 (seen at top) discovered by Pierre Mechain in 1781

Messier described M51 as “a very faint nebula, without stars”; following Mechain’s discovery, Messier revised his description as a “double nebula”

Bright spots (not seen by Messier) in spiral arms are star-forming regions


Whirlpool Galaxy (M51 ) – T2 wfWhirlpool Galaxy (M51 ) – T2 wf

Spiral galaxy in constellation Canes venatici


Size: 100,000 LY


Companion galaxy NGC 5195 discovered by Pierre Mechain in 1781

Spiral structure first detected by Lord Rosse in 1845, using a 72-inch aperture telescope, the “Leviathan”


Spiral Galaxy M65 – T1 hmSpiral Galaxy M65 – T1 hm

Spiral galaxy in constellation Leo


Size: 90,000 LY


Member of the “Leo Trio”, a group of three interacting galaxies


“The Leo Trio” – T2 wf“The Leo Trio” – T2 wf

Group of spiral galaxies in constellation Leo


In this wide-field view, M65 is seen at center, M66 at left, NGC 3628 at top

Size of galaxies: M65: 90,000 LY M66: 90,000 LY NGC 3628: 130,000 LY

M65 and M66 discovered by Charles Messier in 1780

NGC 3628 discovered by William Herschel in 1784


Owl Nebula (M97) – T1 hmOwl Nebula (M97) – T1 hm

Planetary nebula in constellation Ursa major

Distance: 2000 LY

Complex structure: 3 elliptical shells of gas around central white dwarf star, which ionizes and illuminates them

Discovered by Pierre Mechain in 1781


Owl Nebula (M97) and Spiral Galaxy M108 – T2 wfOwl Nebula (M97) and Spiral Galaxy M108 – T2 wf

M97: Planetary nebula in constellation Ursa major

Distance: 2000 LY

In this wide-field view, nebula M97 is seen at bottom left, and spiral galaxy M108 at top right

Both were discovered by Pierre Mechain in 1781, but Messier did not include the galaxy in the final edition of his catalog

Based on Messier’s notes, M108 was added to catalog in 1953

Distance of M108: 40 million LY

Size of M108: 100,000 LY


Messier Drawing of Andromeda “Nebula”Messier Drawing of Andromeda “Nebula”

Drawing of the Andromeda Galaxy and its two companions by Charles Messier. The drawing was published in 1807, but at the time Messier stated that he had seen both “small nebulae” when observing “the beautiful nebula of the girdle of Andromeda” in 1773.

In Messier’s time, all fuzzy deep-sky objects – whether they were diffuse nebulae, unresolved star clusters, or distant galaxies – were referred to as “nebulae”.

The nature of galaxies as “island universes” outside our Milky Way was discovered only in the 20th century.


Portrait of Charles Messier, 1801Portrait of Charles Messier, 1801

This portrait of Charles Messier was painted in 1801, when he was 70 years old.

In 1806, Messier received the Cross of the Legion of Honor from Napoleon. In later years he continued to observe, but less and less due to deteriorating eyesight.

He died in Paris in 1817, at the age of 86.


Sky Safari – A Slooh Production by Kochava Yerushalmit

Sky Safari – A Slooh Production by Kochava Yerushalmit

sky safari: charles messier

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