Charles Messier

Sky Safari: Andromeda by Kochava Yerushalmit



Labeled All-sky ViewLabeled All-sky View


Crab Nebula (M1) – T1 hmCrab Nebula (M1) – T1 hm

Supernova remnant in constellation Taurus

Distance: 6500 LY

Size of nebula: about 15 LY

Size of pulsar (neutron star) at center: about 10-15 km

Supernova witnessed by Chinese and possibly by native Americans

Nebula discovered in 1731 by John Bevis of London, then independently by Charles Messier in 1758


Crab Nebula (M1) – T1 wfCrab Nebula (M1) – T1 wf

Supernova remnant in constellation Taurus

Distance: 6500 LY

Size of nebula: about 15 LY

Size of pulsar (neutron star) at center: about 10-15 km

Nebula discovered in 1731 by John Bevis of London, then independently by Charles Messier in 1758

Nebula in center of this wide-field view; bright star Zeta Tauri is below/left of nebula


Rich Globular Cluster (M3) – T2 hmRich Globular Cluster (M3) – T2 hm

Globular cluster in constellation Canes venatici

Distance: 30,000 LY

Size: 160 LY

Age: 12-14 billion years

Discovered by Charles Messier in 1764


Rich Globular Cluster (M3) – T1 hmRich Globular Cluster (M3) – T1 hm

Globular cluster in constellation Canes venatici

Distance: 30,000 LY

Size: 160 LY

Age: 12-14 billion years

Mass: about 800,000 solar masses

One of the largest globular clusters known


Velvet Cluster (M46 ) – T1 hmVelvet Cluster (M46 ) – T1 hm

Open cluster in constellation Puppis

Distance: 5000 LY

Size: 40 LY

Age: 300 million years


High-mag view shows center of cluster

Planetary nebula NGC 2438 is not part of cluster; it is apparently a foreground object, estimated distance 3000 LY


Velvet Cluster (M46 ) – T1 wfVelvet Cluster (M46 ) – T1 wf

Open cluster in constellation Puppis

Distance: 5000 LY

Size: 40 LY

Age: 300 million years


Wide-field view shows M46 at center, M47 at right, NGC 2423 above M47

Distance of M47: 2000 LY

Size of M47: 18 LY


Whirlpool Galaxy (M51 ) – T2 hmWhirlpool Galaxy (M51 ) – T2 hm

Spiral galaxy in constellation Canes venatici

Distance: 30 million LY

Size: 100,000 LY


Companion galaxy NGC 5195 (seen at top) discovered by Pierre Mechain in 1781

Messier described M51 as “a very faint nebula, without stars”; following Mechain’s discovery, Messier revised his description as a “double nebula”

Bright spots (not seen by Messier) in spiral arms are star-forming regions


Whirlpool Galaxy (M51 ) – T2 wfWhirlpool Galaxy (M51 ) – T2 wf

Spiral galaxy in constellation Canes venatici


Size: 100,000 LY


Companion galaxy NGC 5195 discovered by Pierre Mechain in 1781

Spiral structure first detected by Lord Rosse in 1845, using a 72-inch aperture telescope, the “Leviathan”


Spiral Galaxy M65 – T1 hmSpiral Galaxy M65 – T1 hm

Spiral galaxy in constellation Leo


Size: 90,000 LY


Member of the “Leo Trio”, a group of three interacting galaxies


“The Leo Trio” – T2 wf“The Leo Trio” – T2 wf

Group of spiral galaxies in constellation Leo


In this wide-field view, M65 is seen at center, M66 at left, NGC 3628 at top

Size of galaxies: M65: 90,000 LY M66: 90,000 LY NGC 3628: 130,000 LY

M65 and M66 discovered by Charles Messier in 1780

NGC 3628 discovered by William Herschel in 1784


Owl Nebula (M97) – T1 hmOwl Nebula (M97) – T1 hm

Planetary nebula in constellation Ursa major

Distance: 2000 LY

Complex structure: 3 elliptical shells of gas around central white dwarf star, which ionizes and illuminates them

Discovered by Pierre Mechain in 1781


Owl Nebula (M97) – T2 wfOwl Nebula (M97) – T2 wf

Planetary nebula in constellation Ursa major

Distance: 2000 LY

In this wide-field view, nebula M97 is seen at bottom left, and spiral galaxy M108 at top right

Both were discovered by Pierre Mechain in 1781, but Messier did not include the galaxy in the final edition of his catalog

Based on Messier’s notes, M108 was added to catalog in 1953

Distance of M108: 40 million LY

Size of M108: 100,000 LY


Sky Safari – A Slooh Production by Kochava Yerushalmit

Sky Safari – A Slooh Production by Kochava Yerushalmit

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Charles Messier