Messier Objects

M31 and Satellites
M31, M32 (Arp 168) behind M31, and M110, foreground. We’ve now captured all 110 Messier objects. M17 was our first, on November 18, 2022 and we captured the last 6 during the early morning hours of October 4, 2024, between 3:55 and 5:24 AM. All of the last 6 were located near Orion, in order of capture: M79, M78, M50, M93, M47, and M41.

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Messier observations 31-40 of 110 total to date.

Catalog # Thumbnail Title/link Designation(s) Date Observed Comment
M31
M31 / Great Andromeda Galaxy
M 31, NGC2242023-11-16 08:02:00Closest (and therefore largest) galaxy in our sky... ready to merge with the Milky Way in about a billion years!
M32
Arp 168 / M32
Arp 168, M32, NGC 2212024-02-20 20:00:00Dwarf galaxy merging into Andromeda
M33
M33 / Triangulum Galaxy / NGC 598
M33, NGC 5982023-12-08 04:14:00A favorite galaxy; second closest, surprisingly challenging to observe
M34
M34 / Spiral Cluster
M34, NGC 1039, Spiral Cluster2024-09-10 23:20:00I'm not usually attracted to open clusters, but this one has pretty star colors.
M35
M35 / NGC 2168
M35, NGC 21582024-04-20 21:33:00Two bright clusters (including NGC 2158), observed on a so-so night
M36
M36 / NGC 1960 / Pinwheel Cluster
M36, NGC 19602024-04-20 21:40:00Famous Pinwheel Cluster, observed on a so-so night
M37
M37 / Salt and Pepper Cluster
M37, NGC 20992024-02-05 22:58:00Sweet, quick open cluster
M38
M38 / NGC 1912 / Starfish Cluster
M38, NGC 19122024-04-20 21:44:00Famous Starfish Cluster, observed on a so-so night
M39
M39 / NGC 7092
M39, NGC 70922024-05-22 01:19:00Yawn. Yet another open cluster captured on a crummy night.
M40
M40 / WNC 4
M40, WNC 42024-04-20 21:51:00The onlly double star in the Messier Catalog; probably a mistake