The Pillars of Creation are famous pillars of gas and dust found in one of the several star-forming regions of the Eagle Nebula, Messier 16. The region was named after a photograph taken by the Hubble Space Telescope on April 1, 1995. The stars formed in this region have surface temperatures exceeding 30,000 degrees Celsius… Read More »Pillars of Creation| Messier Objects
Messier 16 (M16), the famous Eagle Nebula, is a star-forming nebula with a young open star cluster located in Serpens. M16 lies near the borders with the constellations Sagittarius and Scutum. The nebula is best known for the Pillars of Creation region, three large pillars of gas famously photographed by Hubble in 1995. Also known… Read More »Messier 16: Eagle Nebula| Messier Objects
Messier 57 (M57), also known as the Ring Nebula, is a well-known planetary nebula located in the northern constellation Lyra. The Ring Nebula has an apparent magnitude of 8.8 and lies at an approximate distance of 2,300 light years from Earth. It has the designation NGC 6720 in the New General Catalogue. Messier 57 lies… Read More »Messier 57: Ring Nebula| Messier Objects
Messier Objects: Guide to the Bright Galaxies, Nebulae and Clusters Listed in the Messier Catalogue| Messier Objects
Messier 51 (M51), better known as the Whirlpool Galaxy, is a famous grand-design spiral galaxy located in the constellation Canes Venatici. The Whirlpool Galaxy has an apparent magnitude of 8.4 and lies at an approximate distance of 23 million light years from Earth. It has the designation NGC 5194 in the New General Catalogue. Messier… Read More »Messier 51: Whirlpool Galaxy| Messier Objects
Messier 101 (M101), also known as the Pinwheel Galaxy, is a spiral galaxy located in the constellation Ursa Major, the Great Bear. The Pinwheel Galaxy has an apparent magnitude of 7.86 and lies at a distance of 20.9 million light years from Earth. It has the designation NGC 5457 in the New General Catalogue. The… Read More »Messier 101: Pinwheel Galaxy| Messier Objects
Messier 96 (M96) is an intermediate spiral galaxy located in the constellation Leo. The galaxy lies at a distance of 31 million light years from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 10.1. It has the designation NGC 3368 in the New General Catalogue. Messier 96 has an apparent size of 7.6 by 5.2 arc… Read More »Messier 96| Messier Objects
Messier 95 (M95) is a barred spiral galaxy located in the constellation Leo. It lies at a distance of 32.6 million light years from Earth. Messier 95 has the designation NGC 3351 in the New General Catalogue. It occupies an area of 3.1 by 2.9 arc minutes of apparent sky, which corresponds to a spatial… Read More »Messier 95| Messier Objects
Messier 105 (M105) is an elliptical galaxy located in the northern constellation Leo. The galaxy lies at a distance of 32 million light years from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 10.2. Its designation in the New General Catalogue is NGC 3379. M105 occupies an area of 5.4 by 4.8 arc minutes of apparent… Read More »Messier 105| Messier Objects
Messier 78 (M78) is a reflection nebula located in the northern constellation Orion, the Hunter. M78 is the brightest diffuse reflection nebula in the sky. It has an apparent magnitude of 8.3 and lies at an approximate distance of 1,600 light years from Earth. It has the designation NGC 2068 in the New General Catalogue.… Read More »Messier 78| Messier Objects
Messier 83 (M83), also known as the Southern Pinwheel Galaxy, is a barred spiral galaxy located in the southern constellation Hydra. M83 lies at a distance of 15.21 million light years from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 7.54. It has the designation NGC 5236 in the New General Catalogue. The Southern Pinwheel Galaxy… Read More »Messier 83: Southern Pinwheel Galaxy| Messier Objects
Messier 66 (M66), the brightest and largest member of the Leo Triplet of galaxies, is an intermediate spiral galaxy located in Leo constellation. The galaxy lies at a distance of about 36 million light years from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 8.9. It has the designation NGC 3627 in the New General Catalogue.… Read More »Messier 66| Messier Objects
Messier 33 (M33), also known as the Triangulum Galaxy, is a famous spiral galaxy located in the small northern constellation Triangulum. The Triangulum Galaxy is the third largest galaxy in the Local Group, after the Andromeda Galaxy and the Milky Way. It is also the second nearest spiral galaxy to the Milky Way and the… Read More »Messier 33: Triangulum Galaxy| Messier Objects
The Leo Triplet, or the M66 Group, is a group of interacting spiral galaxies located in the northern constellation Leo. The group consists of the galaxies Messier 65, Messier 66 and NGC 3628, also known as the Hamburger Galaxy. The Leo Triplet lies at an approximate distance of 35 million light years from Earth. The… Read More »Leo Triplet| Messier Objects
Messier 93 (M93) is an open star cluster located in the constellation Puppis. It lies at a distance of 3,600 light years from Earth. Messier 93 has the designation NGC 2447 in the New General Catalogue. The cluster has an apparent diameter of 22 arc minutes, roughly two thirds the size of the full Moon.… Read More »Messier 93| Messier Objects
Messier 47 (M47) is a bright open star cluster located in the southern constellation Puppis. The cluster lies at a distance of 1,600 light years from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 4.2. It has the designation NGC 2422 in the New General Catalogue. Messier 47 occupies an area of 30 arc minutes of… Read More »Messier 47| Messier Objects
Messier 46 (M46) is an open star cluster located in the southern constellation Puppis, the Stern. It occupies an area of 27 arc minutes of apparent sky, almost the size of the full Moon, and has a spatial diameter of 30 light years. Messier 46 is a relatively bright, large cluster containing about 500 stars.… Read More »Messier 46| Messier Objects
Messier 80 (M80) is a globular cluster located in the southern constellation Scorpius. The cluster has an apparent magnitude of 7.87 and lies at a distance of 32,600 light years from Earth. It has the designation NGC 6093 in the New General Catalogue. Messier 80 has an apparent diameter of 10 arc minutes, corresponding to… Read More »Messier 80| Messier Objects
Messier 7 (M7), also known as Ptolemy’s Cluster, is a bright open cluster in Scorpius constellation. The cluster lies at an approximate distance of 980 light years from Earth. It has the designation NGC 6475 in the New General Catalogue. With a visual magnitude of 3.3 and an apparent diameter of 80 arc minutes –… Read More »Messier 7: Ptolemy’s Cluster| Messier Objects
Messier 6 (M6), also known as the Butterfly Cluster, is a bright open cluster located in the southern constellation Scorpius. It lies in the direction of the galactic centre, at an approximate distance of 1,600 light years from Earth. Messier 6 was named the Butterfly Cluster by the American astronomer Robert Burnham, who described it… Read More »Messier 6: Butterfly Cluster| Messier Objects
Messier 4 (M4) is a bright globular cluster located in the southern constellation Scorpius. It lies at an approximate distance of 7,200 light years from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 5.9. The cluster has the designation NGC 6121 in the New General Catalogue. M4 was discovered by the Swiss astronomer and mathematician Jean-Philippe Loys… Read More »Messier 4| Messier Objects
Messier 1 (M1), also known as the Crab Nebula, Taurus A, or NGC 1952, is an expanding supernova remnant and pulsar wind nebula. It is located in the northern constellation Taurus, the Bull. The Crab Nebula has an apparent magnitude of 8.4 and can be seen with binoculars in good viewing conditions. Messier 1 is… Read More »Messier 1: Crab Nebula| Messier Objects
Messier 103 (M103) is an open star cluster located in the northern constellation Cassiopeia. The cluster lies at a distance of 10,000 light years from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 7.4. Its designation in the New General Catalogue is NGC 581. M103 occupies an area 6 arc minutes in apparent size, corresponding to… Read More »Messier 103| Messier Objects
Messier 52 (M52, NGC 7654) is a bright open cluster located in the constellation Cassiopeia. With an apparent magnitude of 6.9, it can be seen in binoculars and small telescopes. The cluster lies 4,600 light years away.| Messier Objects
Messier 45 (M45), also known as the Pleiades or Seven Sisters, is a bright open star cluster located in the constellation Taurus, the Bull. The Pleiades cluster has an apparent magnitude of 1.6 and lies at an average distance of 444 light years from Earth. The cluster is also known as Melotte 22. It does… Read More »Messier 45: Pleiades| Messier Objects
Messier 42 (M42), the famous Orion Nebula, is an emission-reflection nebula located in the constellation Orion, the Hunter. With an apparent magnitude of 4.0, the Orion Nebula is one of the brightest nebulae in the sky and is visible to the naked eye. It lies at a distance of 1,344 light years from Earth and… Read More »Messier 42: Orion Nebula| Messier Objects
Messier 44 (M44), also known as the Beehive Cluster or Praesepe (the Manger), is an open star cluster in the constellation Cancer. Praesepe is a bright, large cluster with an apparent magnitude of 3.7. It lies at a distance of 577 light years from Earth. It has the designation NGC 2632 in the New General… Read More »Messier 44: Beehive Cluster| Messier Objects
Messier 27 (M27), also known as the Dumbbell Nebula, Diabolo Nebula or Apple Core Nebula, is a planetary nebula in Vulpecula. The Dumbbell Nebula is large in size and quite bright, which makes it a popular object among amateur astronomers. It can be seen in binoculars and small telescopes. The nebula covers an area of… Read More »Messier 27: Dumbbell Nebula| Messier Objects
Messier 31 (M31), better known as the Andromeda Galaxy, is a large spiral galaxy located in the constellation Andromeda. Lying at a distance of 2.54 million light years from Earth, the Andromeda Galaxy is the nearest major galaxy to our own. It is on a collision course with our home galaxy, the Milky Way. Messier… Read More »Messier 31: Andromeda Galaxy| Messier Objects
Messier 97 (M97), also known as the Owl Nebula, is a famous planetary nebula located in Ursa Major constellation. The nebula lies at a distance of 2,030 light years from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 9.9. It has the designation NGC 3587 in the New General Catalogue. Messier 97 occupies an area 3.4… Read More »Messier 97: Owl Nebula| Messier Objects
Charles Messier’s Catalogue of Nebulae and Star Clusters (Catalogue des Nébuleuses et des Amas d’Étoiles) is an astronomical catalogue of 110 bright deep sky objects that may be mistaken for comets. Even though it was compiled for the purpose of helping observers distinguish between permanent and transient objects in the night sky, the Messier catalogue… Read More »Messier Catalogue| Messier Objects
Mayall II is a globular cluster orbiting the Andromeda Galaxy (Messier 31). Also known as Andromeda’s Cluster and Globular One (G1), it is the most intrinsically bright globular cluster in the Local Group of galaxies, with an absolute visual magnitude of -10.94 and a luminosity of 2 million Suns. The cluster has an apparent magnitude… Read More »Mayall II| Messier Objects
The historic first image of a black hole was released by the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) Collaboration on April 10, 2019. An international team of scientists used observations with the Event Horizon Telescope, a worldwide network of eight ground-based radio telescopes, to capture an image of the supermassive black hole at the heart of the… Read More »First Image of a Black Hole Captured in M87| Messier Objects
The Virgo Cluster is the closest large cluster of galaxies to the Milky Way. With over a thousand known members, the cluster spans an area of the sky about 5 by 3 degrees in size. While some of the most prominent members can be seen in smaller instruments, a 6-inch telescope will reveal about 160… Read More »Virgo Cluster| Messier Objects
Messier galaxies M84 and M86 are part of Markarian’s Chain, a striking stretch of galaxies that lie along a curved line near the heart of the Virgo Cluster. The string of galaxies – which also includes NGC 4477, NGC 4473, NGC 4461, NGC 4458, NGC 4438 and NGC 4435 – occupies more than a full… Read More »Markarian’s Chain| Messier Objects
In a new Hubble’s Universe Unfiltered podcast, Dr. Frank Summers, astrophysicist at the Space Telescope Science Institute, analyzes and compares three different images of the Pillars of Creation region in the Eagle Nebula (M16), taken in 1995 and 2014. The image that made the region famous was taken on April 1, 1995 with the Hubble… Read More »Hubble Images of the Pillars of Creation| Messier Objects
Messier 110 (M110), also known as the Edward Young Star, is a dwarf elliptical galaxy located in the constellation Andromeda. M110 is a satellite of the much larger Andromeda Galaxy (M31). It lies at a distance of 2.69 million light years from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 8.92. It has the designation NGC… Read More »Messier 110: Edward Young Star| Messier Objects
Messier 109 (M109) is a barred spiral galaxy located in the constellation Ursa Major. The galaxy lies at a distance of 83.5 million light years and has an apparent magnitude of 10.6. It has the designation NGC 3992 in the New General Catalogue. Messier 109 occupies an area of 7.6 by 4.7 arc minutes of… Read More »Messier 109| Messier Objects
Messier 108 (M108), nicknamed the Surfboard Galaxy, is a barred spiral galaxy located in the constellation Ursa Major. The galaxy lies at an approximate distance of 45.9 million light years from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 10.7. It has the designation NGC 3556 in the New General Catalogue. Messier 108 occupies an area… Read More »Messier 108: Surfboard Galaxy| Messier Objects
Messier 107 (M107) is a globular cluster located in the constellation Ophiuchus. It lies at a distance of 20,900 light years from Earth. It has the designation NGC 6171 in the New General Catalogue. M107 occupies an area of 13 arc minutes of the apparent sky, corresponding to a linear diameter of 79 light years.… Read More »Messier 107| Messier Objects
Messier 106 (M106) is a spiral galaxy located in the constellation Canes Venatici, the Hunting Dogs. M106 lies at a distance of 23.7 million light years from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 9.1. It has the designation NGC 4258 in the New General Catalogue. Messier 106 occupies an area of 18.6 by 7.2… Read More »Messier 106| Messier Objects