| Description | Messier added M55 to his list on the same day as M54, July 24, 1778. This is not surprising given their close proximity. Messier comments: "A nebula which is a whitish spot, of about 6' extension, its light is even and does not appear to contain any star. This nebula has been discovered by M. l'Abbe de LaCaille, see Mem. Acad. 1755, p. 194.... M. Messier has looked for it in vain on July 29, 1764, as reported in his memoir." <--> M55 is 7th and 6th respectively among Messier GC's in terms brightness and size. You can tell by comparison to M54 if you compare the uncropped images in the galleries, since both were taken with the identical setup. I've been despairing how to capture a set of Messier targets low in the southern sky. M55 is one of these, never really rising above my treeline. I sympathize with Charles Messier who had received correspondence about this object, but tried for 4 years to actually view it because it was so low! Paris is at a higher latitude than the Catskills, so it's impressive he managed it at all. I had decided to travel to the Ashokan Reservoir, which has a very low southern horizon... |
