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 | Redo with EdgeHD8 | |||
| M2 | Globular Cluster | A dense | |||||
| M3 | Globular Cluster | One of the richest globular clusters in the sky | Redo with EdgeHD8 | ||||
| M4 | Globular Cluster | The closest globular cluster to Earth | |||||
| M5 | Globular Cluster | A very old and massive cluster containing over 100 | Redo with EdgeHD8 | ||||
| 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 | Globular Cluster | A compact globular cluster near the galactic center | |||||
| M10 | 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 | 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 | Redo with EdgeHD8 | |||
| M14 | Globular Cluster | A dense cluster rich in variable stars and showing a relatively low metallicity population. | |||||
| M15 | 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 | Open Cluster | A small and loose open cluster embedded in a dense star field in Sagittarius. | |||||
| M19 | 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 | 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 | 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 | Open Cluster | A loose naked-eye cluster containing several bright giant stars. | |||||
| M26 | 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 | Globular Cluster | A dense globular cluster containing several millisecond pulsars near the galactic center. | |||||
| M29 | Open Cluster | A small and sparse grouping of bright stars in the constellation Cygnus. | |||||
| M30 | 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 | 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 | Open Cluster | A relatively young open cluster composed of many bright blue-white stars. | Redo- Overexposed | ||||
| M35 | Open Cluster | A large and bright cluster near Gemini’s foot | In Process - Awaiting Stacking | ||||
| M36 | Open Cluster | A compact cluster in Auriga made up of young | In Process - Imaging | ||||
| M37 | Open Cluster | The richest open cluster in Auriga | In Process - Imaging | ||||
| M38 | Open Cluster | A loose cluster whose pattern resembles a cross or the Greek letter Pi. | In Process - Imaging | ||||
| M39 | 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 - Awaiting Stacking | |||
| M41 | 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. | Redo with Redcat | |||
| 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 | Open Cluster | A rich open cluster that contains the planetary nebula NGC 2438. | Completed* |  |
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| M47 | Open Cluster | A sparse but bright cluster of young stars. | Completed |  |
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| M48 | Open Cluster | A wide and loose cluster visible with binoculars. | |||||
| M49 | Elliptical Galaxy | A giant elliptical galaxy in the Virgo Cluster surrounded by numerous satellite systems. | Redo with EdgeHD8 | ||||
| M50 | 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 | Completed - 4/13/26 |  |
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| M52 | Open Cluster | A compact cluster rich in faint stars near the Bubble Nebula. | |||||
| M53 | Globular Cluster | A dense globular cluster located near NGC 5053 in Coma Berenices. | Redo with EdgeHD8 | ||||
| M54 | Globular Cluster | A globular cluster belonging to the Sagittarius Dwarf Galaxy as it merges with the Milky Way. | |||||
| M55 | Globular Cluster | A nearby | |||||
| M56 | 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 | Spiral Galaxy | A barred spiral galaxy in Virgo with reduced star formation compared to similar systems. | Redo with EdgeHD8 | ||||
| M59 | Elliptical Galaxy | A compact elliptical galaxy with a dense and smooth stellar distribution. | Redo with EdgeHD8 | ||||
| M60 | Elliptical Galaxy | A massive elliptical galaxy hosting a supermassive black hole and interacting with nearby galaxies. | |||||
| M61 | Spiral Galaxy | A face-on spiral galaxy notable for its high number of observed supernovae. | |||||
| M62 | 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 | Redo with EdgeHD8 | |||
| 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 | Spiral Galaxy | A member of the Leo Triplet with defined spiral structure and ongoing star formation. | |||||
| M66 | Spiral Galaxy | A distorted member of the Leo Triplet shaped by gravitational interactions. | |||||
| M67 | Open Cluster | One of the oldest open clusters | In Process | ||||
| M68 | Globular Cluster | A metal-poor cluster with an irregular shape due to tidal interactions. | |||||
| M69 | Globular Cluster | A compact cluster near the galactic center | |||||
| M70 | Globular Cluster | A dense cluster located near M69 | |||||
| M71 | Globular Cluster | A loosely concentrated cluster showing features between open and globular clusters. | |||||
| M72 | Globular Cluster | A faint and distant globular cluster in Aquarius. | |||||
| M73 | 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 | 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 | Reflection Nebula | A bright nebula shining by reflected starlight from nearby hot stars embedded in dark dust. | |||||
| M79 | Globular Cluster | A cluster thought to have been captured by the Milky Way from another galaxy. | |||||
| M80 | 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 |  |
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| 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 | Lenticular Galaxy | A smooth Virgo Cluster galaxy containing a large central black hole. | |||||
| M85 | Lenticular Galaxy | A transition galaxy showing characteristics of both elliptical and spiral galaxies. | |||||
| M86 | 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 | Spiral Galaxy | A bright spiral galaxy in Virgo with tightly wound spiral arms. | |||||
| M89 | Elliptical Galaxy | A nearly spherical galaxy with a smooth and featureless form. | |||||
| M90 | Spiral Galaxy | A galaxy whose outer gas is being stripped as it travels through the Virgo Cluster. | |||||
| M91 | Barred Spiral Galaxy | A faint barred spiral galaxy with a distinct central bar. | |||||
| M92 | Globular Cluster | A very bright and dense globular cluster nearly rivaling M13. | |||||
| M93 | Open Cluster | A bright | |||||
| M94 | Spiral Galaxy | A galaxy with a brilliant core surrounded by a faint star-forming ring. | |||||
| M95 | Barred Spiral Galaxy | A barred spiral galaxy showing a ring of star formation near its center. | |||||
| M96 | Spiral Galaxy | A dusty spiral galaxy that is a main member of the Leo I Group. | Redo with EdgeHD8 | ||||
| M97 | Owl Nebula | Planetary Nebula | A round nebula with dark patches that resemble owl eyes. | ||||
| M98 | Spiral Galaxy | A highly inclined spiral galaxy with strong dust absorption features. | |||||
| M99 | Spiral Galaxy | An asymmetric spiral galaxy with one arm more extended from past gravitational encounters. | |||||
| M100 | 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. | Completed - Redo with EdgeHD8? |  |
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| M102 | Lenticular Galaxy | Usually considered a duplicate of M101 | |||||
| M103 | 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. | Redo with EdgeHD8 | |||
| M105 | Elliptical Galaxy | A smooth elliptical galaxy that is part of the Leo I galaxy group. | |||||
| M106 | Spiral Galaxy | A galaxy with an active nucleus and strong water vapor maser emissions. | Redo with EdgeHD8 | ||||
| M107 | Globular Cluster | A loose cluster crossed by dark dust lanes. | |||||
| M108 | Spiral Galaxy | An edge-on spiral galaxy with a chaotic and clumpy internal structure. | |||||
| M109 | Barred Spiral Galaxy | A faint barred spiral galaxy with subtle arms and a weak outer ring. | Redo with EdgeHD8 | ||||
| M110 | Elliptical Galaxy | A diffuse satellite of Andromeda containing both ancient and intermediate-age stars. |