Messier Mysteries
"We look at the same stars and see such different things"
- George R.R. Martin
Charles Messier is no exception to this quote. He was a comet hunter and is credited for the discovery of 13 comets. Yet we know and revere him for the ever famous Messier Catalogue. The catalogue compiled a list of 110 deep sky objects including 57 star clusters, 40 galaxies and 9 nebulae that appeared as nebular patches across the night sky. Since all his observations were made from France, Messier failed to documents some prominent objects visible in the Southern Hemisphere.
Out of the 110 objects, 41 were discovered and documented by Messier himself. The objects are referred to as its number in the original list created by Charles Messier. For example, M1 is the Crab Nebula Supernova remnants and M45 is the Pleiades Star Cluster. The final addition to the list was in 1966, when Kenneth Glynn Jones added a satellite of M31 which Messier had discovered but had not added to the list. Let's also take this moment to acknowledge Messier 104, one of the most fascinating objects in the night sky.
Today, this catalogue proves itself as a valuable tool to astronomers worldwide. The best time to view these objects would be during the spring. A 'Messier marathon' is done in which we observe the sky from sunset till sunrise, about 12 hours to spot the objects in the night sky. The objects appear bright and can be easily spotted with a pair of binoculars or with the help of a telescope.
Remember to brush up your telescope skills with the Astronomy Club before your marathon.
Until next time.
Click here to view the complete Messier Catalogue
For more information on planning a Messier Marathon
Image credits: NASA
---Namitha (MS22)
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