Indy's Object Catalog
Messier Catalog Objects
Charles Messier (1730 – 1817) was the French astronomer and comet hunter most known for
publishing an astronomical catalog consisting of deep sky objects that
today are known as the 110 "Messier objects". The purpose of
the catalog was to help other astronomical observers to distinguish between
permanent objects in the sky and transient objects such as comets. The
Messier catalog contains examples of every known type of deep sky object,
including galaxies, planetary nebulae, open clusters, and globular clusters.
The objects' designations, from M1 to M110, are still in use by professional
and amateur astronomers today. Also shown here with the NGC catalog reference.
| Return to Catalog Index |
| Name |
NGC |
Constellation |
Class |
Right
Ascension |
Declination |
Magnitude |
Remarks |
| M1 |
1952 |
Taurus |
Planetary Nebula |
5h 34.5m |
22° 1' |
8.2 |
Crab Nebula |
| M2 |
7089 |
Aquarius |
Globular Cluster |
21h 33.5m |
0° 49' |
6.5 |
|
| M3 |
5272 |
Canes Venatici |
Globular Cluster |
13h 42.2m |
28° 23' |
6.4 |
|
| M4 |
6121 |
Scorpius |
Globular Cluster |
16h 23.6m |
-26° 32' |
5.9 |
|
| M5 |
5904 |
Serpens |
Globular Cluster |
15h 18.6m |
2° 5' |
5.8 |
|
| M6 |
6405 |
Scorpius |
Open Cluster |
17h 40.1m |
-32° 13' |
4.2 |
Butterfly Cluster |
| M7 |
6475 |
Scorpius |
Open Cluster |
17h 53.9m |
-34° 49' |
3.3 |
Naked Eye |
| M8 |
6523 |
Sagittarius |
Diffuse Nebula |
18h 3.8m |
-24° 23' |
6.8 |
Lagoon Nebula |
| M9 |
6333 |
Ophiuchus |
Globular Cluster |
17h 19.2m |
-18° 31' |
7.9 |
|
| M10 |
6254 |
Ophiuchus |
Globular Cluster |
16h 57.1m |
-4° 6' |
6.6 |
|
| M11 |
6705 |
Scutum |
Open Cluster |
18h 51.1m |
-6° 16' |
5.8 |
Wild Duck Cluster |
| M12 |
6218 |
Ophiuchus |
Globular Cluster |
16h 47.2m |
-1° 57' |
6.6 |
|
| M13 |
6205 |
Hercules |
Globular Cluster |
16h 41.7m |
36° 28' |
5.9 |
Hercules Cluster |
| M14 |
6402 |
Ophiuchus |
Globular Cluster |
17h 37.6m |
-3° 15' |
7.6 |
|
| M15 |
7078 |
Pegasus |
Globular Cluster |
21h 30m |
12° 10' |
6.4 |
|
| M16 |
6611 |
Serpens |
Diffuse Nebula |
18h 18.8m |
-13° 47' |
6.4 |
Eagle Nebula |
| M17 |
6618 |
Sagittarius |
Diffuse Nebula |
18h 20.8m |
-16° 11' |
7.5 |
Swan or Omega Nebula |
| M18 |
6613 |
Sagittarius |
Open Cluster |
18h 19.9m |
-17° 8' |
6.9 |
|
| M19 |
6273 |
Ophiuchus |
Globular Cluster |
17h 2.6m |
-26° 16' |
7.2 |
|
| M20 |
6514 |
Sagittarius |
Diffuse Nebula |
18h 2.6m |
-23° 2' |
9 |
Trifid Nebula |
| M21 |
6531 |
Sagittarius |
Open Cluster |
18h 4.6m |
-22° 30' |
5.9 |
M20 in field |
| M22 |
6656 |
Sagittarius |
Globular Cluster |
18h 36.4m |
-23° 54' |
5.1 |
One of finest GCs |
| M23 |
6494 |
Sagittarius |
Open Cluster |
17h 56.8m |
-19° 1' |
5.5 |
|
| M24 |
6603 |
Sagittarius |
Open Cluster |
18h 16.9m |
-18° 29' |
4.6 |
star cloud |
| M25 |
IC4725 |
Sagittarius |
Open Cluster |
18h 31.6m |
-19° 15' |
4.6 |
open cloud |
| M26 |
6694 |
Scutum |
Open Cluster |
18h 45.2m |
-9° 24' |
8 |
|
| M27 |
6853 |
Vulpecula |
Planetary Nebula |
19h 59.6m |
22° 43' |
7.6 |
Dumbbell Nebula |
| M28 |
6626 |
Sagittarius |
Globular Cluster |
18h 24.5m |
-24° 52' |
6.9 |
|
| M29 |
6913 |
Cygnus |
Open Cluster |
20h 23.9m |
38° 32' |
6.6 |
|
| M30 |
7099 |
Capricornus |
Globular Cluster |
21h 40.4m |
-23° 11' |
7.5 |
|
| M31 |
224 |
Andromeda |
Spiral Galaxy |
0h 42.7m |
41° 16' |
4.8 |
Andromeda Galaxy |
| M32 |
221 |
Andromeda |
Elliptical Galaxy |
0h 42.7m |
40° 52' |
8.7 |
Companion of M31 |
| M33 |
598 |
Triangulum |
Spiral Galaxy |
1h 33.9m |
30° 39' |
6.3 |
Pinwheel Galaxy |
| M34 |
1039 |
Perseus |
Open Cluster |
2h 42m |
42° 47' |
5.5 |
|
| M35 |
2168 |
Gemini |
Open Cluster |
6h 8.9m |
24° 20' |
5.3 |
|
| M36 |
1960 |
Auriga |
Open Cluster |
5h 36.1m |
34° 8' |
6 |
|
| M37 |
2099 |
Auriga |
Open Cluster |
5h 52.4m |
32° 33' |
5.6 |
|
| M38 |
1912 |
Auriga |
Open Cluster |
5h 28.7m |
35° 50' |
6.4 |
|
| M39 |
7092 |
Cygnus |
Open Cluster |
21h 32.2m |
48° 26' |
4.6 |
|
| M40 |
WNC 4 |
Ursa Major |
Double star |
12h 22.4m |
58° 5' |
9.1 |
Winnnecke 4 |
| M41 |
2287 |
Canis Major |
Open Cluster |
6h 47m |
-20° 44' |
4.6 |
|
| M42 |
1976 |
Orion |
Diffuse Nebula |
5h 35.4m |
-5° 27' |
2.9 |
Great Orion Nebula |
| M43 |
1982 |
Orion |
Diffuse Nebula |
5h 35.6m |
-5° 16' |
6.9 |
Detached Portion of M42 |
| M44 |
2632 |
Cancer |
Open Cluster |
8h 40.1m |
19° 59' |
3.1 |
Praesepe - Beehive Clustr |
| M45 |
|
Taurus |
Open Cluster |
3h 47m |
24° 7' |
1.2 |
The Pleiades |
| M46 |
2437 |
Puppis |
Open Cluster |
7h 41.8m |
-14° 49' |
6.1 |
|
| M47 |
2422 |
Puppis |
Open Cluster |
7h 36.6m |
-14° 30' |
4.5 |
|
| M48 |
2548 |
Hydra |
Open Cluster |
8h 13.8m |
-5° 48' |
5.8 |
|
| M49 |
4472 |
Virgo |
Elliptical Galaxy |
12h 29.8m |
8° 0' |
8.4 |
|
| M50 |
2323 |
Monoceros |
Open Cluster |
7h 3.2m |
-8° 20' |
5.9 |
|
| M51 |
5194 |
Canes Venatici |
Spiral Galaxy |
13h 29.9m |
47° 12' |
8.4 |
Whirlpool Galaxy |
| M52 |
7654 |
Cassiopeia |
Open Cluster |
23h 24.2m |
61° 35' |
6.9 |
|
| M53 |
5024 |
Coma Berenices |
Globular Cluster |
13h 12.9m |
18° 10' |
7.7 |
|
| M54 |
6715 |
Sagittarius |
Globular Cluster |
18h 55.1m |
-30° 29' |
7.7 |
|
| M55 |
6809 |
Sagittarius |
Globular Cluster |
19h 40m |
-30° 58' |
7 |
|
| M56 |
6779 |
Lyra |
Globular Cluster |
19h 16.6m |
30° 11' |
8.3 |
|
| M57 |
6720 |
Lyra |
Planetary Nebula |
18h 53.6m |
33° 2' |
9.3 |
Ring Nebula |
| M58 |
4579 |
Virgo |
Spiral Galaxy |
12h 37.7m |
11° 49' |
9.8 |
Fine Compact Spiral |
| M59 |
4621 |
Virgo |
Elliptical Galaxy |
12h 42m |
11° 39' |
9.8 |
|
| M60 |
4649 |
Virgo |
Elliptical Galaxy |
12h 43.7m |
11° 33' |
8.8 |
|
| M61 |
4303 |
Virgo |
Spiral Galaxy |
12h 21.9m |
4° 28' |
9.7 |
Large Face-on Spiral |
| M62 |
6266 |
Ophiuchus |
Globular Cluster |
17h 1.2m |
-30° 7' |
6.6 |
|
| M63 |
5055 |
Canes Venatici |
Spiral Galaxy |
13h 15.8m |
42° 2' |
8.6 |
Sunflower Nebula |
| M64 |
4826 |
Coma Berenices |
Spiral Galaxy |
12h 56.7m |
21° 41' |
8.5 |
Black-Eye Galaxy |
| M65 |
3623 |
Leo |
Spiral Galaxy |
11h 18.9m |
13° 5' |
9.3 |
|
| M66 |
3627 |
Leo |
Spiral Galaxy |
11h 20.2m |
12° 59' |
9 |
|
| M67 |
2682 |
Cancer |
Open Cluster |
8h 50.4m |
11° 49' |
6.9 |
Interesting OC |
| M68 |
4590 |
Hydra |
Globular Cluster |
12h 39.5m |
-26° 45' |
8.2 |
|
| M69 |
6637 |
Sagittarius |
Globular Cluster |
18h 31.4m |
-32° 21' |
7.7 |
|
| M70 |
6681 |
Sagittarius |
Globular Cluster |
18h 43.2m |
-32° 18' |
8.1 |
|
| M71 |
6838 |
Sagitta |
Globular Cluster |
19h 53.8m |
18° 47' |
8.3 |
|
| M72 |
6981 |
Aquarius |
Globular Cluster |
20h 53.5m |
-12° 32' |
9.4 |
|
| M73 |
6994 |
Aquarius |
Open Cluster |
20h 58.9m |
-12° 38' |
9 |
Asterism of 4 stars |
| M74 |
628 |
Pisces |
Spiral Galaxy |
1h 36.7m |
15° 47' |
9.2 |
Fine Face-on Spiral |
| M75 |
6864 |
Sagittarius |
Globular Cluster |
20h 6.1m |
-21° 55' |
8.6 |
|
| M76 |
650 |
Perseus |
Planetary Nebula |
1h 42.4m |
51° 34' |
12.2 |
Little Dumbell |
| M77 |
1068 |
Cetus |
Spiral Galaxy |
2h 42.7m |
0° 1' |
8.9 |
Seyfert galaxy |
| M78 |
2068 |
Orion |
Diffuse Nebula |
5h 46.7m |
0° 3' |
10.5 |
Comet Shaped |
| M79 |
1904 |
Lepus |
Globular Cluster |
5h 24.5m |
-24° 33' |
8.4 |
|
| M80 |
6093 |
Scorpius |
Globular Cluster |
16h 17m |
-22° 59' |
7.2 |
Nova T Sco(1860) |
| M81 |
3031 |
Ursa Major |
Spiral Galaxy |
9h 55.6m |
69° 4' |
6.9 |
Fine Spiral |
| M82 |
3034 |
Ursa Major |
Irregular Galaxy |
9h 55.8m |
69° 41' |
8.4 |
Fine Pair with M81 |
| M83 |
5236 |
Hydra |
Spiral Galaxy |
13h 37m |
-29° 52' |
8.2 |
|
| M84 |
4374 |
Virgo |
Elliptical Galaxy |
12h 25.1m |
12° 53' |
9.3 |
Center Virgo Cluster |
| M85 |
4382 |
Coma Berenices |
Elliptical Galaxy |
12h 25.4m |
18° 11' |
9.3 |
|
| M86 |
4406 |
Virgo |
Elliptical Galaxy |
12h 26.2m |
12° 57' |
9.2 |
Center Virgo Cluster |
| M87 |
4486 |
Virgo |
Elliptical Galaxy |
12h 30.8m |
12° 24' |
8.6 |
X-ray & Radio Source |
| M88 |
4501 |
Coma Berenices |
Spiral Galaxy |
12h 32m |
14° 25' |
9.5 |
Multiple-Arm Spiral |
| M89 |
4552 |
Virgo |
Elliptical Galaxy |
12h 35.7m |
12° 33' |
9.8 |
Bright, Round |
| M90 |
4569 |
Virgo |
Spiral Galaxy |
12h 36.8m |
13° 10' |
9.5 |
Well Formed Oval |
| M91 |
4548 |
Coma Berenices |
Spiral Galaxy |
12h 35.4m |
14° 30' |
10.2 |
Barred Spiral Galaxy |
| M92 |
6341 |
Hercules |
Globular Cluster |
17h 17.1m |
43° 8' |
6.5 |
|
| M93 |
2447 |
Puppis |
Open Cluster |
7h 44.6m |
-23° 52' |
6.2 |
|
| M94 |
4736 |
Canes Venatici |
Spiral Galaxy |
12h 50.9m |
41° 7' |
8.2 |
|
| M95 |
3351 |
Leo |
Spiral Galaxy |
10h 44m |
11° 42' |
9.7 |
Theta Structure |
| M96 |
3368 |
Leo |
Spiral Galaxy |
10h 46.8m |
11° 49' |
9.1 |
Pair with M95 |
| M97 |
3587 |
Ursa Major |
Planetary Nebula |
11h 14.8m |
55° 1' |
12 |
Owl Nebula |
| M98 |
4192 |
Coma Berenices |
Spiral Galaxy |
12h 13.8m |
14° 54' |
10.1 |
Knotty, Bright Spindle |
| M99 |
4254 |
Coma Berenices |
Spiral Galaxy |
12h 18.8m |
14° 25' |
9.8 |
|
| M100 |
4321 |
Coma Berenices |
Spiral Galaxy |
12h 22.9m |
15° 49' |
9.4 |
Fine Spiral |
| M101 |
5457 |
Ursa Major |
Spiral Galaxy |
14h 3.2m |
54° 21' |
7.7 |
Splendid Large Face-On |
| M102 |
5457 |
Ursa Major |
Spiral Galaxy |
14h 3.2m |
54° 21' |
7.7 |
Duplicate of M101 |
| M103 |
581 |
Cassiopeia |
Open Cluster |
1h 33.2m |
60° 42' |
7.4 |
Arrowhead Shape |
| M104 |
4594 |
Virgo |
Spiral Galaxy |
12h 40m |
-11° 37' |
8.3 |
Sombrero Galaxy |
| M105 |
3379 |
Leo |
Elliptical Galaxy |
10h 47.8m |
12° 35' |
9.2 |
|
| M106 |
4258 |
Canes Venatici |
Spiral Galaxy |
12h 19m |
47° 18' |
8.3 |
|
| M107 |
6171 |
Ophiuchus |
Globular Cluster |
16h 32.5m |
-13° 3' |
8.1 |
|
| M108 |
3556 |
Ursa Major |
Spiral Galaxy |
11h 11.5m |
55° 40' |
10.1 |
Edge-On / M97 in field |
| M109 |
3992 |
Ursa Major |
Spiral Galaxy |
11h 57.6m |
53° 23' |
9.8 |
Barred Spiral Galaxy |
| M110 |
205 |
Andromeda |
Elliptical Galaxy |
0h 40.4m |
41° 41' |
9.4 |
Companion of M31 |
|
| Return to Catalog Index |
