The Messier objects are a set of 110 astronomical objects cataloged by the French astronomer Charles Messier. They include galaxies, nebulae, and star clusters. Charles Messier, a prominent figure in the field of astronomy, compiled this catalog in the 18th century as a way to distinguish between permanent and transient celestial objects such as comets. His careful documentation and classification of these fascinating astronomical phenomena have become invaluable to astronomers and stargazers alike, serving as a foundation for further exploration and understanding of the universe.
Below is a table with some basic details for each Messier object:
| Messier Number | Object Type | Common Name | Constellation | Mag | Size (arcmin) | Notes |
| M1 | Supernova Remnant | Crab Nebula | Taurus | 8.4 | 6 | Remnant of a supernova explosion |
| M2 | Globular Cluster | Messier 2 | Aquarius | 6.3 | 16 | Rich globular cluster |
| M3 | Globular Cluster | Messier 3 | Canes Venatici | 6.2 | 16 | Bright, dense globular cluster |
| M4 | Globular Cluster | Messier 4 | Scorpius | 5.9 | 26.3 | Contains a strong X-ray source |
| M5 | Globular Cluster | Messier 5 | Serpens | 5.7 | 23.1 | One of the oldest known globular clusters |
| M6 | Open Cluster | Butterfly Cluster | Scorpius | 4.2 | 20 | Easily visible to the naked eye |
| M7 | Open Cluster | Ptolemy’s Cluster | Scorpius | 3.3 | 80 | Contains about 80 stars |
| M8 | Nebula | Lagoon Nebula | Sagittarius | 6 | 90 | Active star-forming region |
| M9 | Globular Cluster | Messier 9 | Ophiuchus | 8.4 | 12 | Close to the center of the Milky Way |
| M10 | Globular Cluster | Messier 10 | Ophiuchus | 6.4 | 20 | Bright globular cluster |
| M11 | Open Cluster | Wild Duck Cluster | Scutum | 6.3 | 14 | Rich star cluster with dark lanes |
| M12 | Globular Cluster | Messier 12 | Ophiuchus | 6.7 | 14 | Contains many variable stars |
| M13 | Globular Cluster | Great Hercules Cluster | Hercules | 5.8 | 20 | Brightest globular cluster in the N. Hem. |
| M14 | Globular Cluster | Messier 14 | Ophiuchus | 7.6 | 11 | Contains a planetary nebula |
| M15 | Globular Cluster | Messier 15 | Pegasus | 6.2 | 18 | Contains a large number of variable stars |
| M16 | Nebula | Eagle Nebula | Serpens | 6.4 | 7 | Star-forming region with Pillars of Creation |
| M17 | Nebula | Omega Nebula | Sagittarius | 6 | 11 | Active star-forming region |
| M18 | Open Cluster | Messier 18 | Sagittarius | 7.5 | 9 | Part of a complex of star clusters |
| M19 | Globular Cluster | Messier 19 | Ophiuchus | 7.2 | 17 | Elliptical shape with central bar |
| M20 | Nebula | Trifid Nebula | Sagittarius | 6.3 | 28 | Combination of emission and reflection nebulae |
| M21 | Open Cluster | Messier 21 | Sagittarius | 6.5 | 13 | Contains about 57 stars |
| M22 | Globular Cluster | Messier 22 | Sagittarius | 5.1 | 32 | One of the brightest globular clusters |
| M23 | Open Cluster | Messier 23 | Sagittarius | 6.9 | 27 | Open cluster with roughly 150 stars |
| M24 | Star Cloud | Small Sagittarius Star Cloud | Sagittarius | – | – | Part of the Milky Way obscured by dust |
| M25 | Open Cluster | Messier 25 | Sagittarius | 4.6 | 32 | Bright open cluster with nebulosity |
| M26 | Open Cluster | Messier 26 | Scutum | 8 | 9 | Open cluster with a dense core |
| M27 | Planetary Nebula | Dumbbell Nebula | Vulpecula | 7.4 | 8 | Shaped like a prolate spheroid |
| M28 | Globular Cluster | Messier 28 | Sagittarius | 6.8 | 11 | Contains RR Lyrae variable stars |
| M29 | Open Cluster | Messier 29 | Cygnus | 7.1 | 7 | Loose open cluster with 50 stars |
| M30 | Globular Cluster | Messier 30 | Capricornus | 7.2 | 12 | Rich in variable stars |
| M31 | Galaxy | Andromeda Galaxy | Andromeda | 3.4 | 190 | Largest galaxy in the Local Group |
| M32 | Galaxy | Messier 32 | Andromeda | 8.1 | 8 | Satellite galaxy of M31 |
| M33 | Galaxy | Triangulum Galaxy | Triangulum | 5.7 | 70 | Member of the Local Group |
| M34 | Open Cluster | Messier 34 | Perseus | 5.5 | 35 | Contains about 100 stars |
| M35 | Open Cluster | Messier 35 | Gemini | 5.3 | 28 | Rich open cluster with over 200 stars |
| M36 | Open Cluster | Messier 36 | Auriga | 6 | 14 | Young open cluster |
| M37 | Open Cluster | Messier 37 | Auriga | 5.6 | 24 | Rich open cluster with 500 stars |
| M38 | Open Cluster | Messier 38 | Auriga | 6.4 | 21 | Contains an associated reflection nebula |
| M39 | Open Cluster | Messier 39 | Cygnus | 4.6 | 32 | Part of the Cygnus OB1 association |
| M40 | Double Star | Winnecke 4 | Ursa Major | 9.1 | – | Not originally included by Messier |
| M41 | Open Cluster | Messier 41 | Canis Major | 4.5 | 38 | Bright open cluster with 100 stars |
| M42 | Nebula | Orion Nebula | Orion | 4 | 65 | Emission nebula in the Orion Molecular Cloud |
| M43 | Nebula | De Mairan’s Nebula | Orion | 9 | 20 | Part of the Orion Nebula complex |
| M44 | Open Cluster | Beehive Cluster | Cancer | 3.1 | 95 | Bright open cluster with over 1,000 stars |
| M45 | Open Cluster | Pleiades | Taurus | 1.6 | 110 | Bright and well-known open cluster |
| M46 | Open Cluster | Messier 46 | Puppis | 6.1 | 27 | Contains a planetary nebula |
| M47 | Open Cluster | Messier 47 | Puppis | 4.2 | 30 | Rich open cluster with 50 stars |
| M48 | Open Cluster | Messier 48 | Hydra | 5.5 | 54 | Contains over 80 stars |
| M49 | Elliptical Galaxy | Messier 49 | Virgo | 8.4 | 9 | Member of the Virgo Cluster |
| M50 | Open Cluster | Messier 50 | Monoceros | 5.9 | 16 | Contains about 200 stars |
| M51 | Galaxy | Whirlpool Galaxy | Canes Venatici | 8.4 | 12 | Interacting galaxy pair |
| M52 | Open Cluster | Messier 52 | Cassiopeia | 6.9 | 13 | Rich open cluster with about 200 stars |
| M53 | Globular Cluster | Messier 53 | Coma Berenices | 7.7 | 13 | Elliptical globular cluster |
| M54 | Globular Cluster | Messier 54 | Sagittarius | 7.6 | 11 | In the Sagittarius Dwarf Elliptical Galaxy |
| M55 | Globular Cluster | Messier 55 | Sagittarius | 7 | 19 | Rich, dense globular cluster |
| M56 | Globular Cluster | Messier 56 | Lyra | 8.3 | 8 | Contains RR Lyrae variable stars |
| M57 | Planetary Nebula | Ring Nebula | Lyra | 8.8 | 1.4×1.0 | Formed by expanding shell of ionized gas |
| M58 | Spiral Galaxy | Messier 58 | Virgo | 9.7 | 5.5×4.5 | Part of the Virgo Cluster |
| M59 | Elliptical Galaxy | Messier 59 | Virgo | 9.6 | 5.5×4.5 | Part of the Virgo Cluster |
| M60 | Elliptical Galaxy | Messier 60 | Virgo | 8.8 | 7.6×6.2 | Part of the Virgo Cluster |
| M61 | Spiral Galaxy | Messier 61 | Virgo | 9.7 | 6.5×5.9 | Part of the Virgo Cluster |
| M62 | Globular Cluster | Messier 62 | Ophiuchus | 6.5 | 15 | Elliptical globular cluster |
| M63 | Spiral Galaxy | Sunflower Galaxy | Canes Venatici | 8.6 | 12.6×7.2 | Also known as the Black Eye Galaxy |
| M64 | Spiral Galaxy | Black Eye Galaxy | Coma Berenices | 8.5 | 9.3×5.4 | Distinct dark band of absorbing dust |
| M65 | Spiral Galaxy | Messier 65 | Leo | 9.3 | 8.0×1.6 | Part of the Leo Triplet |
| M66 | Spiral Galaxy | Messier 66 | Leo | 8.9 | 9.1×4.2 | Part of the Leo Triplet |
| M67 | Open Cluster | Messier 67 | Cancer | 6.1 | 25 | Older than most open clusters |
| M68 | Globular Cluster | Messier 68 | Hydra | 7.8 | 11 | Elliptical globular cluster |
| M69 | Globular Cluster | Messier 69 | Sagittarius | 7.6 | 7 | Part of the Sagittarius Dwarf Elliptical Galaxy |
| M70 | Globular Cluster | Messier 70 | Sagittarius | 7.9 | 7 | Part of the Sagittarius Dwarf Elliptical Galaxy |
| M71 | Globular Cluster | Messier 71 | Sagitta | 7.9 | 7 | Unusual for a globular cluster |
| M72 | Globular Cluster | Messier 72 | Aquarius | 9.3 | 6 | Elliptical globular cluster |
| M73 | Asterism | Messier 73 | Aquarius | 9 | – | Asterism of four stars |
| M74 | Spiral Galaxy | Messier 74 | Pisces | 10 | 10.0×9.4 | Low surface brightness spiral galaxy |
| M75 | Globular Cluster | Messier 75 | Sagittarius | 8.5 | 6 | Elliptical globular cluster |
| M76 | Planetary Nebula | Little Dumbbell Nebula | Perseus | 11.1 | 2.7×1.8 | Bipolar planetary nebula |
| M77 | Spiral Galaxy | Messier 77 | Cetus | 8.9 | 7.0×6.0 | Active galactic nucleus |
| M78 | Reflection Nebula | Messier 78 | Orion | 8.3 | 8 | Reflection nebula in Orion Molecular Cloud |
| M79 | Globular Cluster | Messier 79 | Lepus | 7.7 | 9 | Elliptical globular cluster |
| M80 | Globular Cluster | Messier 80 | Scorpius | 7.3 | 8.9 | Rich globular cluster with a central bar |
| M81 | Spiral Galaxy | Bode’s Galaxy | Ursa Major | 6.9 | 21.0×11.0 | Interacting galaxy pair with M82 |
| M82 | Irregular Galaxy | Cigar Galaxy | Ursa Major | 8.4 | 11.0×4.4 | Starburst galaxy with intense star formation |
| M83 | Spiral Galaxy | Southern Pinwheel Galaxy | Hydra | 7.6 | 13.1×12.9 | Barred spiral galaxy |
| M84 | Lenticular Galaxy | Messier 84 | Virgo | 9.1 | 5.3×5.1 | Elliptical galaxy with a dust lane |
| M85 | Lenticular Galaxy | Messier 85 | Coma Berenices | 9.1 | 7.1×5.8 | Elliptical galaxy in the Virgo Cluster |
| M86 | Lenticular Galaxy | Messier 86 | Virgo | 8.9 | 8.9×5.8 | Elliptical galaxy in the Virgo Cluster |
| M87 | Elliptical Galaxy | Virgo A | Virgo | 8.6 | 7.2×6.8 | Giant elliptical galaxy with a jet |
| M88 | Spiral Galaxy | Messier 88 | Coma Berenices | 9.6 | 6.0×4.8 | Spiral galaxy in the Virgo Cluster |
| M89 | Elliptical Galaxy | Messier 89 | Virgo | 9.8 | 5.2×4.9 | Elliptical galaxy in the Virgo Cluster |
| M90 | Spiral Galaxy | Messier 90 | Virgo | 9.5 | 9.0×5.6 | Spiral galaxy in the Virgo Cluster |
| M91 | Spiral Galaxy | Messier 91 | Coma Berenices | 10.2 | 5.5×4.8 | Spiral galaxy in the Virgo Cluster |
| M92 | Globular Cluster | Messier 92 | Hercules | 6.4 | 14 | Bright, compact globular cluster |
| M93 | Open Cluster | Messier 93 | Puppis | 6 | 22 | Open cluster with about 80 stars |
| M94 | Spiral Galaxy | Messier 94 | Canes Venatici | 8.2 | 11.0×9.0 | Spiral galaxy with a central ring |
| M95 | Barred Spiral Galaxy | Messier 95 | Leo | 9.7 | 7.0×5.0 | Barred spiral galaxy |
| M96 | Spiral Galaxy | Messier 96 | Leo | 9.2 | 6.0×5.0 | Spiral galaxy with a faint outer ring |
| M97 | Planetary Nebula | Owl Nebula | Ursa Major | 9.9 | 3.4×3.3 | Planetary nebula with a dark “eye” |
| M98 | Spiral Galaxy | Messier 98 | Coma Berenices | 10.1 | 9.8×2.8 | Spiral galaxy with faint arms |
| M99 | Spiral Galaxy | Messier 99 | Coma Berenices | 9.9 | 4.8×4.2 | Spiral galaxy with a bright core |
| M100 | Spiral Galaxy | Messier 100 | Coma Berenices | 9.4 | 7.0×6.1 | Grand design spiral galaxy |
| M101 | Spiral Galaxy | Pinwheel Galaxy | Ursa Major | 7.9 | 27.0×26.0 | Spiral galaxy with prominent arms |
| M102 | Galaxy | Spindle Galaxy | Draco | 9.7 | 6.9×2.0 | Later identified as NGC 5866 |
| M103 | Open Cluster | Messier 103 | Cassiopeia | 7.4 | 6 | Open cluster with about 40 stars |
| M104 | Spiral Galaxy | Sombrero Galaxy | Virgo | 8 | 9.4×4.6 | Spiral galaxy with a bright nucleus |
| M105 | Elliptical Galaxy | Messier 105 | Leo | 9.3 | 4.8×4.4 | Elliptical galaxy in the Leo I Group |
| M106 | Spiral Galaxy | Messier 106 | Canes Venatici | 8.4 | 18.0×8.4 | Seyfert II galaxy with an active nucleus |
| M107 | Globular Cluster | Messier 107 | Ophiuchus | 7.9 | 13 | Elliptical globular cluster |
| M108 | Spiral Galaxy | Messier 108 | Ursa Major | 10 | 8.6×2.2 | Edge-on spiral galaxy |
| M109 | Barred Spiral Galaxy | Messier 109 | Ursa Major | 9.8 | 7.0×4.6 | Barred spiral galaxy |
