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.

Page 8 of 11
Messier observations 71-80 of 110 total to date.

Catalog # Thumbnail Title/link Designation(s) Date Observed Comment
M71
M71 / Angelfish Cluster
M71, NGC 68382023-09-12 13:56:00Looks like an open cluster, but it's NOT!
M72
M72 / NGC 6981
M72 / NGC 69812024-09-01 21:00:00Observed from my back yard, a southerly Messier globular cluster.
M73
M73 / NGC 6994
M73, NGC 69942024-09-09 20:50:00An odd Messier object, an asterism of 4 stars
M74
M74 / NGC628
M74, NGC 6282023-01-11 17:18:00Relatively dim object for a Messier Object, needs more time and proper dithering
M75
M75 / NGC 6864
M75 / NGC 68642024-09-03 00:15:00Observed from my back yard, a southerly Messier globular cluster.
M76
M76 / Little Dumbbell Nebula / NGC 650
M76, NGC 650, NGC 6512023-10-05 06:48:00Pretty planetary nebula in Perseus
M77
Arp 37 / M77
Arp 37, M 77, NGC 1068, Cetus A2023-01-01 22:36:25Lovely, relatively bright capture.
M78
M78 / NGC 2068
M78, NGC 20682024-10-04 04:43:00A beautiful, small reflection nebula in Orion. Overshadowed by its gaudier neighbors.
M79
M 79 / NGC 1904
M79 / NGC 19042024-10-04 04:22:00Winter globular cluster: early AM observation
M80
M80 / NGC 6093
M80, NGC 60932024-05-19 23:30:00One of Messier's first observations was a globular cluster low on the horizon, looking a lot like a comet.