Messier Catelog
The Messier Catalog is a collection of 110 galaxies, nebulae, and star clusters compiled in the 18th century by French astronomer Charles Messier. The objects are some of the most beautiful and scientifically important deep-sky objects visible from Earth. My goal is to capture every Messier object through astrophotography, and I will continue updating this page as new targets are imaged and added to the collection over time.
In process status means I have imaged the object but haven’t processed and uploaded the final image to the website yet. Work in progress!
| Number | Name | Category | Summary | Status | Link | Photo | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M1 | Crab Nebula | Supernova Remnant | A rapidly expanding cloud of gas and dust left over from a supernova observed in 1054 AD | In Process | |||
| M2 | Messier 2 | Globular Cluster | A dense | ||||
| M3 | Messier 3 | Globular Cluster | One of the richest globular clusters in the sky | In Process | |||
| M4 | Messier 4 | Globular Cluster | The closest globular cluster to Earth | ||||
| M5 | Messier 5 | Globular Cluster | A very old and massive cluster containing over 100 | In Process | |||
| M6 | Butterfly Cluster | Open Cluster | A bright open cluster whose star pattern loosely resembles butterfly wings. | ||||
| M7 | Ptolemy’s Cluster | Open Cluster | A large and bright naked-eye cluster made up of young | ||||
| M8 | Lagoon Nebula | Emission Nebula | A huge stellar nursery containing glowing hydrogen gas | ||||
| M9 | Messier 9 | Globular Cluster | A compact globular cluster near the galactic center | ||||
| M10 | Messier 10 | Globular Cluster | A bright globular cluster with a dense core and slightly elongated shape from tidal effects. | ||||
| M11 | Wild Duck Cluster | Open Cluster | One of the richest open clusters | ||||
| M12 | Messier 12 | Globular Cluster | A loosely concentrated globular cluster with stars more evenly distributed than most similar clusters. | ||||
| M13 | Hercules Globular Cluster | Globular Cluster | One of the brightest globular clusters | In Process | |||
| M14 | Messier 14 | Globular Cluster | A dense cluster rich in variable stars and showing a relatively low metallicity population. | ||||
| M15 | Messier 15 | Globular Cluster | An extremely compact globular cluster with a dense core and a rare embedded planetary nebula. | ||||
| M16 | Eagle Nebula | Emission Nebula | A vast star-forming region famous for the “Pillars of Creation | Completed |  |
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| M17 | Omega Nebula | Emission Nebula | A bright cloud shaped like a swan or checkmark | ||||
| M18 | Messier 18 | Open Cluster | A small and loose open cluster embedded in a dense star field in Sagittarius. | ||||
| M19 | Messier 19 | Globular Cluster | An unusually elongated globular cluster distorted by gravitational forces near the galactic center. | ||||
| M20 | Trifid Nebula | Emission/Reflection Nebula | A complex nebula with dark dust lanes that divide it into three sections mixing glowing and reflective regions. | ||||
| M21 | Messier 21 | Open Cluster | A young cluster of hot blue stars located near the Trifid Nebula. | ||||
| M22 | Sagittarius Globular Cluster | Globular Cluster | A bright and nearby globular cluster containing hundreds of thousands of stars and planetary nebulae. | ||||
| M23 | Messier 23 | Open Cluster | A large and bright open cluster with widely spaced young stars. | ||||
| M24 | Sagittarius Star Cloud | Star Cloud | A dense region of the Milky Way rich in stars | ||||
| M25 | Messier 25 | Open Cluster | A loose naked-eye cluster containing several bright giant stars. | ||||
| M26 | Messier 26 | Open Cluster | A faint and compact open cluster located in a dense galactic field. | ||||
| M27 | Dumbbell Nebula | Planetary Nebula | A shell of glowing gas expelled by a dying star | ||||
| M28 | Messier 28 | Globular Cluster | A dense globular cluster containing several millisecond pulsars near the galactic center. | ||||
| M29 | Messier 29 | Open Cluster | A small and sparse grouping of bright stars in the constellation Cygnus. | ||||
| M30 | Messier 30 | Globular Cluster | A very compact globular cluster with a collapsed core in Capricornus. | ||||
| M31 | Andromeda Galaxy | Spiral Galaxy | The nearest major spiral galaxy to the Milky Way | Completed | Andromeda |  |
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| M32 | Messier 32 | Elliptical Galaxy | A compact satellite galaxy of Andromeda with a very dense stellar core. | Completed | See above | See above | |
| M33 | Triangulum Galaxy | Spiral Galaxy | A face-on spiral galaxy and one of the most distant objects visible to the naked eye | Completed |  |
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| M34 | Messier 34 | Open Cluster | A relatively young open cluster composed of many bright blue-white stars. | In Process | |||
| M35 | Messier 35 | Open Cluster | A large and bright cluster near Gemini’s foot | In Process | |||
| M36 | Messier 36 | Open Cluster | A compact cluster in Auriga made up of young | ||||
| M37 | Messier 37 | Open Cluster | The richest open cluster in Auriga | ||||
| M38 | Messier 38 | Open Cluster | A loose cluster whose pattern resembles a cross or the Greek letter Pi. | ||||
| M39 | Messier 39 | Open Cluster | A large but sparse cluster of bright stars easily visible with binoculars. | ||||
| M40 | Winnecke 4 | Double Star | A pair of unrelated stars appearing close together that were misidentified as a nebula. | In Process | |||
| M41 | Messier 41 | Open Cluster | A bright cluster south of Sirius containing a mix of young and evolved stars. | ||||
| M42 | Orion Nebula | Emission Nebula | The closest massive stellar nursery to Earth | Completed |  |
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| M43 | De Mairan’s Nebula | Emission Nebula | A bright region of gas separated from the Orion Nebula by a dark dust lane. | ||||
| M44 | Beehive Cluster | Open Cluster | A bright and ancient naked-eye cluster known since classical antiquity. | In Process | |||
| M45 | Pleiades | Open Cluster | A very young and nearby cluster famous for its bright blue stars and surrounding reflection nebulosity. | Completed |  |
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| M46 | Messier 46 | Open Cluster | A rich open cluster that appears to contain a superimposed planetary nebula. | In Process | |||
| M47 | Messier 47 | Open Cluster | A sparse but bright cluster of young stars. | ||||
| M48 | Messier 48 | Open Cluster | A wide and loose cluster visible with binoculars. | ||||
| M49 | Messier 49 | Elliptical Galaxy | A giant elliptical galaxy in the Virgo Cluster surrounded by numerous satellite systems. | In Process | |||
| M50 | Messier 50 | Open Cluster | A heart-shaped open cluster containing dozens of young | ||||
| M51 | Whirlpool Galaxy | Spiral Galaxy | A grand-design spiral galaxy interacting with a companion | In Process | |||
| M52 | Messier 52 | Open Cluster | A compact cluster rich in faint stars near the Bubble Nebula. | ||||
| M53 | Messier 53 | Globular Cluster | A dense globular cluster located near NGC 5053 in Coma Berenices. | In Process | |||
| M54 | Messier 54 | Globular Cluster | A globular cluster belonging to the Sagittarius Dwarf Galaxy as it merges with the Milky Way. | ||||
| M55 | Messier 55 | Globular Cluster | A nearby | ||||
| M56 | Messier 56 | Globular Cluster | A moderately compact cluster of very old | ||||
| M57 | Ring Nebula | Planetary Nebula | A glowing ring formed from shell gas ejected by a dying Sun-like star. | ||||
| M58 | Messier 58 | Spiral Galaxy | A barred spiral galaxy in Virgo with reduced star formation compared to similar systems. | In Process | |||
| M59 | Messier 59 | Elliptical Galaxy | A compact elliptical galaxy with a dense and smooth stellar distribution. | In Process | |||
| M60 | Messier 60 | Elliptical Galaxy | A massive elliptical galaxy hosting a supermassive black hole and interacting with nearby galaxies. | ||||
| M61 | Messier 61 | Spiral Galaxy | A face-on spiral galaxy notable for its high number of observed supernovae. | ||||
| M62 | Messier 62 | Globular Cluster | A bright cluster distorted by strong tidal forces near the galactic center. | ||||
| M63 | Sunflower Galaxy | Spiral Galaxy | A spiral galaxy with a patchy | In Process | |||
| M64 | Black Eye Galaxy | Spiral Galaxy | A galaxy with a striking dark dust lane creating the look of a black eye near the bright core. | ||||
| M65 | Messier 65 | Spiral Galaxy | A member of the Leo Triplet with defined spiral structure and ongoing star formation. | ||||
| M66 | Messier 66 | Spiral Galaxy | A distorted member of the Leo Triplet shaped by gravitational interactions. | ||||
| M67 | Messier 67 | Open Cluster | One of the oldest open clusters | In Process | |||
| M68 | Messier 68 | Globular Cluster | A metal-poor cluster with an irregular shape due to tidal interactions. | ||||
| M69 | Messier 69 | Globular Cluster | A compact cluster near the galactic center | ||||
| M70 | Messier 70 | Globular Cluster | A dense cluster located near M69 | ||||
| M71 | Messier 71 | Globular Cluster | A loosely concentrated cluster showing features between open and globular clusters. | ||||
| M72 | Messier 72 | Globular Cluster | A faint and distant globular cluster in Aquarius. | ||||
| M73 | Messier 73 | Asterism | A chance alignment of stars once thought to be a true star cluster. | ||||
| M74 | Phantom Galaxy | Spiral Galaxy | A face-on spiral galaxy with very low surface brightness and delicate spiral structure. | ||||
| M75 | Messier 75 | Globular Cluster | A compact and distant globular cluster with a dense central nucleus. | ||||
| M76 | Little Dumbbell Nebula | Planetary Nebula | A bipolar nebula formed by powerful stellar winds from a dying star. | ||||
| M77 | Cetus A | Spiral Galaxy | An active galaxy powered by a supermassive black hole producing strong core emissions. | ||||
| M78 | Messier 78 | Reflection Nebula | A bright nebula shining by reflected starlight from nearby hot stars embedded in dark dust. | ||||
| M79 | Messier 79 | Globular Cluster | A cluster thought to have been captured by the Milky Way from another galaxy. | ||||
| M80 | Messier 80 | Globular Cluster | One of the densest known globular clusters with an extremely packed core. | ||||
| M81 | Bode’s Galaxy | Spiral Galaxy | A bright nearby spiral with well-defined arms and a massive central bulge. | Completed | |||
| M82 | Cigar Galaxy | Starburst Galaxy | A highly active galaxy undergoing intense star formation with strong galactic winds. | ||||
| M83 | Southern Pinwheel Galaxy | Spiral Galaxy | A face-on spiral galaxy rich in star formation and frequent supernova activity. | ||||
| M84 | Messier 84 | Lenticular Galaxy | A smooth Virgo Cluster galaxy containing a large central black hole. | ||||
| M85 | Messier 85 | Lenticular Galaxy | A transition galaxy showing characteristics of both elliptical and spiral galaxies. | ||||
| M86 | Messier 86 | Elliptical Galaxy | A high-velocity galaxy moving through the Virgo Cluster trailing stripped gas. | ||||
| M87 | Virgo A | Elliptical Galaxy | A giant galaxy famous for a jet of energized particles driven by a supermassive black hole. | ||||
| M88 | Messier 88 | Spiral Galaxy | A bright spiral galaxy in Virgo with tightly wound spiral arms. | ||||
| M89 | Messier 89 | Elliptical Galaxy | A nearly spherical galaxy with a smooth and featureless form. | ||||
| M90 | Messier 90 | Spiral Galaxy | A galaxy whose outer gas is being stripped as it travels through the Virgo Cluster. | ||||
| M91 | Messier 91 | Barred Spiral Galaxy | A faint barred spiral galaxy with a distinct central bar. | ||||
| M92 | Messier 92 | Globular Cluster | A very bright and dense globular cluster nearly rivaling M13. | ||||
| M93 | Messier 93 | Open Cluster | A bright | ||||
| M94 | Messier 94 | Spiral Galaxy | A galaxy with a brilliant core surrounded by a faint star-forming ring. | ||||
| M95 | Messier 95 | Barred Spiral Galaxy | A barred spiral galaxy showing a ring of star formation near its center. | ||||
| M96 | Messier 96 | Spiral Galaxy | A dusty spiral galaxy that is a main member of the Leo I Group. | In Process | |||
| M97 | Owl Nebula | Planetary Nebula | A round nebula with dark patches that resemble owl eyes. | ||||
| M98 | Messier 98 | Spiral Galaxy | A highly inclined spiral galaxy with strong dust absorption features. | ||||
| M99 | Messier 99 | Spiral Galaxy | An asymmetric spiral galaxy with one arm more extended from past gravitational encounters. | ||||
| M100 | Messier 100 | Spiral Galaxy | A grand-design spiral galaxy with intense star formation in arms and core. | ||||
| M101 | Pinwheel Galaxy | Spiral Galaxy | A giant spiral galaxy with sprawling arms and hundreds of visible star-forming regions. | In Process | |||
| M102 | Messier 102 | Lenticular Galaxy | Usually considered a duplicate of M101 | ||||
| M103 | Messier 103 | Open Cluster | A small and compact cluster near the Cassiopeia region of the Milky Way. | ||||
| M104 | Sombrero Galaxy | Spiral Galaxy | A bright galaxy with a dark dust lane and prominent central bulge resembling a sombrero. | ||||
| M105 | Messier 105 | Elliptical Galaxy | A smooth elliptical galaxy that is part of the Leo I galaxy group. | In Process | |||
| M106 | Messier 106 | Spiral Galaxy | A galaxy with an active nucleus and strong water vapor maser emissions. | In Process | |||
| M107 | Messier 107 | Globular Cluster | A loose cluster crossed by dark dust lanes. | ||||
| M108 | Messier 108 | Spiral Galaxy | An edge-on spiral galaxy with a chaotic and clumpy internal structure. | ||||
| M109 | Messier 109 | Barred Spiral Galaxy | A faint barred spiral galaxy with subtle arms and a weak outer ring. | In Process | |||
| M110 | Messier 110 | Elliptical Galaxy | A diffuse satellite of Andromeda containing both ancient and intermediate-age stars. |