Imaging the Messiers for the Astronomical League
(Imaging
Messier Observing Program)
Updated
05/05/24 05:05 PM -0400
Seeing what the ZWO SeeStar S50 can do for this classic
list of star clusters, nebulae, and galaxies!
All images are 2-5 minutes of live stacking unless otherwise noted.
All images are taken using a ZWO SeeStar S50 (50mm refractor at 202mm FL with the IMX462 imaging chip) at Deerlick Astronomy Village, Sharon GA (33.553879, -82.761069). Time and date stamps, plus exposure times, are shown in the image watermark. Images below are just the jpgs produced by the SeeStar (not the fits files) that I've only minimally post-processed. Initially I only tweaked them using my phone apps but as the project progressed I discovered that it actually took less time (<5 minutes total) and gave better results to do a 1-click Topaz DeNoise followed by 1-3 clicks of simple adjustments in Photoshop CS5.
Base chart from https://astropixels.com/messier/messiercat.html
Messier Catalog
M | Type | Mag. |
Date Observed |
Time (ET) Observed |
S/T | Image | Comments |
Size arcmin |
Distance (ly) |
Right Ascension |
Declination | Con | Viewing Season | Common Name |
M1 | Sn | 8.4 | 1/11/24 | 21:49 | T4/5 S2/5 |
Rather than a crab, I think this nebula looks more like a member of
Casper's ghost family. It's an oblong oval of semi-transparent,
multicolored nebulosity, bent in somewhat of an "S" shape. Bonus: Asteroid Vesta was travelling through the neighborhood and graced us with a cameo appearance! I've labeled her in the shot. |
6x4 | 6300 | 5h 34.5m | +22° 01′ | Tau | winter | Crab Nebula | |
M2 | Gc | 6.5 | 1/4/24 | 19:42 |
T4/5 S3/5 |
Bright glob, really stands out in the field! Intense core surrounded by gold & white stars. Pretty. | 12.9 | 37900 | 21h 33.5m | -00° 49′ | Aqr | autumn | ||
M3 | Gc | 6.2 | 3/14/24 | 02:03 |
T2/5 S2/5 (smoke) |
What a stunner! This rich globular cluster simply takes my breath away. It sparkles with gold, white, and blue stars streaming out of a dense glowing core. | 16.2 | 33900 | 13h 42.2m | +28° 23′ | CVn | spring | ||
M4 | Gc | 5.6 | 26.3 | 7200 | 16h 23.6m | -26° 32′ | Sco | summer | ||||||
M5 | Gc | 5.6 | 4/29/24 | 01:27 |
S1/5 T2/5 66°F thin clouds |
M5 is another fabulous globular cluster. Slightly larger and brighter than M3, this glob has a brilliant core with interesting strings of stars dangling down. | 17.4 | 24500 | 15h 18.6m | +02° 05′ | Ser | summer | ||
M6 | Oc | 4.2 | 25 | 1600 | 17h 40.1m | -32° 13′ | Sco | summer | Butterfly Cluster | |||||
M7 | Oc | 3.3 | 80 | 800 | 17h 53.9m | -34° 49′ | Sco | summer | Ptolemy's Cluster | |||||
M8 | Di | 6.0 | 90x40 | 5200 | 18h 03.8m | -24° 23′ | Sgr | summer | Lagoon Nebula | |||||
M9 | Gc | 7.7 | 9.3 | 26700 | 17h 19.2m | -18° 31′ | Oph | summer | ||||||
M10 | Gc | 6.6 | 5/2/24 | 00:29 |
S3/5 T3/5 |
As the galaxies leave us in the spring, the magnificent globs return! M10 is big, bright, and bold with nicely resolved stars. Its round core has a three-dimensional appearance, like a snowball of stars. | 15.1 | 14400 | 16h 57.1m | -04° 06′ | Oph | summer | ||
M11 | Oc | 6.3 | 14 | 6000 | 18h 51.1m | -06° 16′ | Sct | summer | Wild Duck Cluster | |||||
M12 | Gc | 6.7 | 5/2/24 | 0:22 |
S3/4 T3/5 |
Dimmer and looser than M10, this glob still sparkles! It is rather asymmetrical and looks like a cross between an open cluster and a globular cluster. It has short stubby strings of stars crossing the center at different angles. An interesting arm of 4 stars curves up around one side (at the bottom right of the core in this framing). | 14.5 | 16000 | 16h 47.2m | -01° 57′ | Oph | summer | ||
M13 | Gc | 5.8 | 5/1/24 | 23:46 |
S3/5 T3/5 |
A summer classic! This is a big and bright glob with a condensed core and beautiful ribbons of stars running outwards from the center. Its brilliant golden stars give it a regal touch. | 16.6 | 25100 | 16h 41.7m | +36° 28′ | Her | summer | Great Hercules Globular | |
M14 | Gc | 7.6 | 11.7 | 29000 | 17h 37.6m | -03° 15′ | Oph | summer | ||||||
M15 | Gc | 6.2 |
11/3/23 Mansfield GA |
21:23 |
T3/5 S3/5 |
M15 is another of my favorite globular clusters, especially for outreach. It has a compact, dense core with a lovely scattering of halo stars surrounding it. This is a much longer exposure than the other images here; it demonstrates the field rotation due to the alt-az mount. | 12.3 | 33600 | 21h 30m | +12° 10′ | Peg | autumn | Great Pegasus Globular | |
M16 | Oc | 6.4 | 7 | 7000 | 18h 18.8m | -13° 47′ | Ser | summer | Eagle Nebula | |||||
M17 | Di | 7.0 | 11 | 5000 | 18h 20.8m | -16° 11′ | Sgr | summer | Omega Nebula | |||||
M18 | Oc | 7.5 | 9 | 4900 | 18h 19.9m | -17° 08′ | Sgr | summer | ||||||
M19 | Gc | 6.8 | 13.5 | 28400 | 17h 02.6m | -26° 16′ | Oph | summer | ||||||
M20 | Di | 9.0 | 28 | 5200 | 18h 02.6m | -23° 02′ | Sgr | summer | Trifid Nebula | |||||
M21 | Oc | 6.5 | 13 | 4250 | 18h 04.6m | -22° 30′ | Sgr | summer | ||||||
M22 | Gc | 5.1 | 24 | 10400 | 18h 36.4m | -23° 54′ | Sgr | summer | Sagittarius Cluster | |||||
M23 | Oc | 6.9 | 27 | 2150 | 17h 56.8m | -19° 01′ | Sgr | summer | ||||||
M24 | MW | 4.6 | 90 | 10000 | 18h 16.9m | -18° 30′ | Sgr | summer | Sagittarius Star Cloud | |||||
M25 | Oc | 6.5 | 40 | 2000 | 18h 31.6m | -19° 15′ | Sgr | summer | ||||||
M26 | Oc | 8.0 | 15 | 5000 | 18h 45.2m | -09° 24′ | Sct | summer | ||||||
M27 | Pl | 7.4 | 12/6/23 | 20:52 |
T3/5 S3/5 |
This is one of my favorite Messiers because it is so bright and beautiful. This apple core of brilliant aquamarine and rose fans out in dramatic fashion from the central star, a vivid remnant of that star's collapse thousands of years ago. | 8.0x5.7 | 1250 | 19h 59.6m | +22° 43′ | Vul | summer | Dumbbell Nebula | |
M28 | Gc | 6.8 | 11.2 | 18600 | 18h 24.5m | -24° 52′ | Sgr | summer | ||||||
M29 | Oc | 7.1 | 7 | 4000 | 20h 23.9m | +38° 32′ | Cyg | summer | ||||||
M30 | Gc | 7.2 | 11 | 26100 | 21h 40.4m | -23° 11′ | Cap | autumn | ||||||
M31 | Sp | 3.4 | 1/4/24 | 20:43 |
T4/5 S3/5 |
This is just the center of our massive sister galaxy M31. Prominent dust lanes are evident, giving nice spiral structure to the arms. M32 lies to the upper left and M110 to the lower right. I hope someday Seestar will have mosaic mode to make it easy to combine all three galaxies into one large panorama. | 178x63 | 3 million | 0h 41.8m | +41° 16′ | And | autumn | Andromeda Galaxy | |
M32 | El | 8.1 | 1/4/24 | 20:24 |
T4/5 S3/5 |
The edge of master galaxy M31 can be seen on the right edge of the field. This is an elliptical galaxy with a slight oval tilt to it and a bright core. | 8x6 | 3 million | 0h 42.8m | +40° 52′ | And | autumn | ||
M33 | Sp | 5.7 | 1/4/24 | 20:14 |
T4/5 S3/5 |
This is a beautiful face-on spiral, very large and faint. Exquisite details in arm structure can be seen, with lots of clumpy regions and darker dust lanes present. A pretty string of 5 field stars dangles just to the left of center. | 73x45 | 3 million | 1h 33.9m | +30° 39′ | Tri | autumn | Triangulum Galaxy | |
M34 | Oc | 5.5 | 1/4/24 | 22:33 |
T4/5 S3/5 |
This is a lovely, loose open cluster with brighter pairs of stars hopping through it. A nice drizzle of 10-12 medium size stars flows down from a bright star to the upper left of center. | 35 | 1400 | 2h 42m | +42° 47′ | Per | autumn | ||
M35 | Oc | 5.3 | 1/11/24 | 22:09 |
T4/5 S2/5 |
The was the first star cluster I could reliably find in binoculars when I started learning the sky. I just looked for Castor's fuzzy soccer ball, sitting just off of his foot. Overall the cluster is elongated, almost vase-like in shape at low mag and manages to stand out in a busy field. | 28 | 2800 | 6h 08.9m | +24° 20′ | Gem | winter | ||
M36 | Oc | 6.3 | 1/29/24 | 19:43 |
T3/5 S2/53 |
The Pinwheel Cluster - lines of stars give it a "legs and arms" look. Very angular, with a noticeable asymmetry (a thicker "arm") unbalancing the upper half. | 12 | 4100 | 5h 36.1m | +34° 08′ | Aur | winter | ||
M37 | Oc | 6.2 | 1/11/24 | 22:01 |
T4/5 S2/5 |
This cluster is even more dense than M38, with a bright wedge-shaped concentration of stars in the center. This elongated triangle of tightly packed stars is readily visible in even the small thumbnail image (left)! | 24 | 4400 | 5h 52.4m | +32° 33′ | Aur | winter | ||
M38 | Oc | 7.4 | 1/11/24 | 21:30 |
T4/5 S2/5 |
Another nice open cluster, more concentrated and with more uniformity of stars than M39. A few strings of tightly lined-up stars add interest. | 21 | 4200 | 5h 28.7m | +35° 50′ | Aur | winter | ||
M39 | Oc | 4.6 | 1/11/24 | 19:35 |
T4/5 S2/5 |
A dozen brighter stars are scattered about in this large, loose open cluster in a very busy field crowded with lots of smaller stars. Pretty! | 32 | 825 | 21h 32.2m | +48° 26′ | Cyg | autumn | ||
M40 | Ds | 8.4 | 2/3/24 | 00:15 |
T4/5 S3/5 |
Messier 40 is simply an evenly-matched pair of stars, now known as Winnecke 4. This duo sits underneath small galaxy NGC 4290 - could that possibly be what Charles Messier meant to record? (Seems too small & dim to me for his possible detection but I could easily be wrong!) Four other NGC galaxies are in the field. I had not noticed the lower three NGC objects before. | 0.8 | 510 | 12h 22.4m | +58° 05′ | UMa | spring | Winnecke 4 | |
M41 | Oc | 4.6 | 1/4/24 | 22:26 |
T4/5 S3/5 |
This beautiful loose cluster has a rough wing-like shape. Member stars are of varying sizes. The image also features a Quadrantid meteor passing through! | 38 | 2300 | 6h 47m | -20° 44′ | CMa | winter | ||
M42 | Di | 4.0 | 1/4/24 | 22:09 |
T4/5 S3/5 |
I've never seen the Orion Nebula look so lovely in such a short time through a telescope. (it started appearing like this in less than 1 minute of live stacking!) Gorgeous pink and cream clouds of nebulosity billow out from the region of Theta Ori. | 85x60 | 1600 | 5h 35.4m | -05° 27′ | Ori | winter | Great Nebula in Orion | |
M43 | Di | 9.0 | 1/4/24 | 22:09 |
T4/5 S3/5 |
M43 is the often-overlooked sibling of M42. It is a round bubble oF rosy clouds surrounding an embedded star. It can be found just above a dark, spectre-like dust cloud at the upper left edge df M42 | 20x15 | 1600 | 5h 35.6m | -05° 16′ | Ori | winter | De Mairan's Nebula | |
M44 | Oc | 3.7 | 1/4/24 | 23:00 |
T2/5 S3/5 |
This is "the Beehive" open cluster, where I'm assuming the dozen brighter stars might represent the closest/bigger individual bees and the dimmer ones represent the buzzy bee cloud (!). It is a loose cluster and has been known since ancient times. It can be spotted as a fuzzy spot by naked eye (in good skies). It is thought to be roughly the same age as the Hyades (625-790 myrs old) and shares the same proper motion direction. | 95 | 577 | 8h 40.1m | +19° 59′ | Cnc | winter | Beehive Cluster | |
M45 | Oc | 1.6 |
12/4/23 taken in Atlanta GA |
21:51 |
T2/5 S2/5 |
The Pleiades are always a welcome sight in the fall, signalling that mighty Orion is not far behind. This "teeny tiny dipper" shows a touch of nice glow around the primary blue-white stars of the asterism. I plan to get a larger FOV image once mosaic mode is implemented in the capture software. | 110 | 380 | 3h 47m | +24° 07′ | Tau | winter | Pleiades | |
M46 | Oc | 6.0 | 1/4/24 | 23:50 |
T1/5 S2/5 |
(Ground fog rolling in!) Look at the plantary nebula inside of this open cluster! I tend to forget about this foreground PN so it's always a delight to find it again! The M46 cluster is grainy and rather dense (for an open cluster), crowded with evenly bright stars. |
27 | 5400 | 7h 41.8m | -14° 49′ | Pup | winter | ||
M47 | Oc | 5.2 | 1/4/24 | 23:40 |
T1/5 S2/5 |
(Ground fog rolling in!) Much more distinct than M46, this cluster features 5-6 brighter stars scattered among smaller stars. Four of these bright stars sit in trapezoid shape and define the center of the cluster. |
30 | 1600 | 7h 36.6m | -14° 30′ | Pup | winter | ||
M48 | Oc | 5.5 | 1/4/24 | 23:30 |
T2/5 S2/5 |
(Ground fog rolling in!) This large cluster has a "finger of darkness" reaching through its center! More of the brighter stars are above the dark lane than are below it and sit in a loose clump, more or less at the OC's center. |
54 | 1500 | 8h 13.8m | -05° 48′ | Hya | winter | ||
M49 | El | 8.4 | 3/31/24 | 00:27 |
T2/5 S2/5 |
The above image is a 3 minute stack, with galaxy labels. The above image is a 5 minute stack (no labels). |
Messier 49 is a bright slightly elongated elliptical galaxy with an even, diffuse haze surrounding it. No other detail can be detected. I was surprised to see however that it is neighbored by at least five other tiny galaxies. The first image has these surrounding galaxies labeled; the second image is a longer stack and gives a better view of all of the galaxies in the field. | 9x7.5 | 60 million | 12h 29.8m | +08° 00′ | Vir | spring | |
M50 | Oc | 6.3 | 1/4/24 | 22:50 |
T2/5 S3/5 |
Very loose, but a nice and bright grouping. A few smaller/dimmer stars are mixed in with larger/brighter ones. An angled rough arc of stars sits askew below the cluster's center. | 16 | 3000 | 7h 03.2m | -08° 20′ | Mon | winter | ||
M51 | Sp | 8.4 | 03/20/24 | 05:51 |
T3/4 S1/5 |
Stunning M51 never fails to delight! Its beautiful spiral arms sparkle with stars. Dust lanes and bright streaky areas add further interest. It's fascinating to see its grip on smaller spiral neighbor, NGC 5194. It appears doubtful that the companion galaxy can escape the likely fate awaiting it. | 11x7 | 37 million | 13h 30m | +47° 11′ | CVn | spring | Whirlpool Galaxy | |
M52 | Oc | 7.3 | 1/4/24 | 21:09 |
T4/5 S3/5 |
A dense fine grained cluster with a wedge-shaped concentration in its lower right. A few brighter stars are seen, but most of the others are medium to small, packed closely together. Overall it has a wind-blown look, with stars seeming to waft off towards to upper right. | 13 | 5000 | 23h 24.2m | +61° 35′ | Cas | autumn | ||
M53 | Gc | 7.6 | 3/31/24 | 00:42 |
T2/5 S2/5 |
Two remarkable but very different globulars - M53 (top) and NGC 5053 (bottom). M53 is round and brilliant, beautiful and bright. NGC is more straggly, scattered, and dim; it is less dense, irregular, and maybe even a bit mysterious.It was a challenge to fit them both into the field but I waited until they rotated to opposite corners of the same field with this alt-az mount. | 12.6 | 59700 | 13h 12.9m | +18° 10′ | Com | spring | ||
M54 | Gc | 7.6 | 9.1 | 88700 | 18h 55.1m | -30° 29′ | Sgr | summer | ||||||
M55 | Gc | 6.3 | 19 | 17600 | 19h 40m | -30° 58′ | Sgr | summer | ||||||
M56 | Gc | 8.3 | 7.1 | 32900 | 19h 16.6m | +30° 11′ | Lyr | summer | ||||||
M57 | Pl | 8.8 | 5/2/24 | 00:46 |
S3/5 T3/5 |
The cosmic cheerio! I wasn't sure how this would photograph, being so small in diameter, but it was nice, crisp, and bright, and showed off its aquamarine center. It is somewaht asymmetrically oval in shape. I used the telescope's built-in LP filter (OIII 30nm/Hα 20nm) which added a greenish cast to the background. | 1.4x1.0 | 2300 | 18h 53.6m | +33° 02′ | Lyr | summer | Ring Nebula | |
M58 | Ba | 9.7 | 3/31/24 | 00:27 |
S2/5 T3/5 68°F |
M58 (seen here in the upper left) is a spiral galaxy with an elongated, bright core. The surrounding outer haze appears to have a slight gap below the core. In this same field at the lower left we have the pretty galaxy line-of-sight pair, the Siamese Twins, NGC 4567/4568. | 5.5x4.5 | 60 million | 12h 37.7m | +11° 49′ | Vir | spring | ||
M59 | El | 9.6 | 4/28/24 | 22:20 |
S1/5 T2/5 66°F 18% clouds |
This nice Messier duo is located just easst of spiral galaxy M58. First up is M59, a bright, elongated elliptical galaxy with a long broad core. its neighbor, the luminous spherical galaxy M60, sits further to the east (left) and has its own fainter companion, spiral NGC 4657 (not labeled) sitting almost on top of it. This field is packed with galaxies - 9 other smaller ones are labeled in this field! | 5x3.5 | 60 million | 12h 42m | +11° 39′ | Vir | spring | ||
M60 | El | 8.8 | 4/28/24 | 22:20 |
S1/5 T2/5 66°F 18% clouds |
see above image of M59 | see above | 7x6 | 60 million | 12h 43.7m | +11° 33′ | Vir | spring | |
M61 | Sp | 9.7 | 4/28/24 | 23:27 |
S1/5 T2/5 66°F 18% clouds |
M61 is a face-on spiral galaxy with a small (but bright) round core. Its arms are unusually angled and crab-like. Two tiny galaxies, NGC 4301, left, and NGC 4292, right, sit just above it. | 6x5.5 | 60 million | 12h 21.9m | +04° 28′ | Vir | spring | Swelling Spiral Galaxy | |
M62 | Gc | 6.5 | 14.1 | 22500 | 17h 01.2m | -30° 07′ | Oph | summer | ||||||
M63 | Sp | 8.6 | 3/14/24 | 01:04 |
T2/5 S2/5 (smoke) |
M63 is an elongated spiral with its face tilted slightly away from us.(I suppose it could look like a sunflower turning its face towards the sun.) Its swirly interior is mottled and indistinct but motion can be sensed. The lower part of the spiral face is noticeably drawn out into thin clumpy wisps. Its upper end is marked by a bright mag 9 star. | 10x6 | 37 million | 13h 15.8m | +42° 02′ | CVn | spring | Sunflower Galaxy | |
M64 | Sp | 8.5 | 3/30/24 | 23:49 |
T3/5 S2/5 |
M64 is called the "Black Eye Galaxy" for obvious reasons - it is sporting a a dark semi circle of dust that blackens one side of this galaxy's small bright nucleus. A bright egg-shaped haze surrounds the core; this bright haze is itself surrounded by a thinner haze that extend s with diffuse blunt tips on from each end. | 9.3x5.4 | 19 million | 12h 56.7m | +21° 41′ | Com | spring | Black Eye Galaxy | |
M65 | Sp | 9.3 | 3/14/24 | 01:16 |
T2/5 S2/5 (smoke) |
M65 is part of the magnificent Leo Triplet. In this orientation
M65 is the elongated galaxy on the lower right. The other members are
M66 (lower left) and NGC 3628 (upper left). M65 is sitting at an oblique
angle to us, appearing tight and condensed. A dark dust lane is visible
on one side and there are clumps and knots in the arms. Description continues for M66, next. |
8x1.5 | 35 million | 11h 18.9m | +13° 05′ | Leo | spring | Leo Triplet | |
M66 | Sp | 8.9 | 3/14/24 | 01:16 |
T2/5 S2/5 (smoke) |
M66 is the lower left member of the Leo Triplet.It is by far the brightest of the three. It has a disturbed interior, with sharp angles, knots, and dust entwined in its bright spiral arms. It seems to have been in a wrestling match with one of its neighbors at some time in the past. Very striking! | 8x2.5 | 35 million | 11h 20.2m | +12° 59′ | Leo | spring | Leo Triplet | |
M67 | Oc | 6.1 | 1/4/24 | 23:18 |
T3/5 S2/5 |
A tightly-packed open cluster with one bright star sitting alone to the left and a pacman-like gap of darkness at the lower right edge. | 30 | 2700 | 8h 50.4m | +11° 49′ | Cnc | winter | ||
M68 | Gc | 7.8 | 4/29/24 | 00:07 |
S1/5 T2/5 66°F thin clouds |
Even at its highest here, M68 appears somewhat low in the sky due to its location in Hydra. M68 is a relatively modest globular cluster, with good resolution of the individual stars as they are sprinkled over the silvery core. Rather pretty! | 12 | 33300 | 12h 39.5m | -26° 45′ | Hya | spring | ||
M69 | Gc | 7.6 | 7.1 | 28000 | 18h 31.4m | -32° 21′ | Sgr | summer | ||||||
M70 | Gc | 7.9 | 7.8 | 29400 | 18h 43.2m | -32° 18′ | Sgr | summer | ||||||
M71 | Gc | 8.2 | 7.2 | 12700 | 19h 53.8m | +18° 47′ | Sge | summer | ||||||
M72 | Gc | 9.3 | 5.9 | 55400 | 20h 53.5m | -12° 32′ | Aqr | summer | ||||||
M73 | As | 9.0 | 2.8 | 2000 | 20h 59m | -12° 38′ | Aqr | summer | ||||||
M74 | Sp | 9.4 | 1/4/24 | 20:03 |
T4/5 S3/5 |
What a dainty face-on spiral! It is quite dim, but comes in nicely with live stacking. I love the pretty spiral arms, dressed-up with a few sparkling stars. | 10.2x9.5 | 35 million | 1h 36.7m | +15° 47′ | Psc | autumn | ||
M75 | Gc | 8.5 | 6 | 61300 | 20h 06.1m | -21° 55′ | Sgr | summer | ||||||
M76 | Pl | 10.1 | 1/4/24 | 21:38 |
T4/5 S3/5 |
What a difference a decade of technology makes! Nine years ago in 2015 (almost to the day), I described this as a "faint, tiny "whiff" of a smudge" when I star-hopped to it with my 8" dob. Now with EAA it jumps into view as a bright two-lobed barbell surrounded by wafts of iridescent aqua It sits paired with a bright (mag 6.7) orange giant star just above it to the north. | 2.7x1.8 | 3400 | 1h 42.4m | +51° 34′ | Per | autumn | Little Dumbbell Nebula | |
M77 | Sp | 8.9 | 1/4/24 | 19:52 |
T4/5 S3/5 |
This is a condensed galaxy with a bright oval core, sourrounded by a gauzy haze. Zooming in, clumpy spiral structure can be seen. This galaxy has an active nucleus which is a radio source known as Cetus A. Mag 10 spiral galaxy NGC 1055 is its neighbor in the upper right of the field. | 7x6 | 60 million | 2h 42.7m | +00° 02′ | Cet | autumn | ||
M78 | Di | 8.3 | 1/4/24 | 22:44 |
T4/5 S3/5 |
This is a fairly bright relection nebula illuminated by a close pair of mag 10/11 stars. A curved arc of darkness curls above the glowing cloouds like an eyebrow. A dark kidney-shaped splotch floats just above the eyebrow. | 8x6 | 1600 | 5h 46.7m | +00° 03′ | Ori | winter | ||
M79 | Gc | 7.7 | 1/4/24 | 21:52 |
T4/5 S3/5 |
Such an interesting look to this globular cluster! The core is extremely bright and condensed. The core sits within an arc of evenly-spaced stars that, in turn, is part of an a backwards question mark asterism. | 8.7 | 42100 | 5h 24.5m | -24° 33′ | Lep | winter | ||
M80 | Gc | 7.3 | 8.9 | 32600 | 16h 17m | -22° 59′ | Sco | summer | ||||||
M81 | Sp | 6.9 | 2/14/24 | 00:37 |
T4.5/5 S2/5 |
A fabulous pair! M81 is a large spiral that is not quite face on, tilted at roughly 35° away from us. A pair of cloudy arms reach out on opposite sides (top and bottom as seen here). A tight bright core is condensed in the galaxy center. | 21x10 | 12 million | 9h 55.6m | +69° 04′ | UMa | spring | Bode's Galaxy | |
M82 | Ir | 8.4 | 2/14/24 | 00:37 |
T4.5/5 S2/5 |
The smaller of the paired galaxies, M82. is thin and elongated, cigar-shaped just as its nickname (Cigar Galaxy) implies. It has a disturbed interior with knots and dust lanes evident. The galaxy appears to be almost split in half by one of these dark alleyways. A delicate haze wisps out from both tapered end. | 9x4 | 12 million | 9h 55.8m | +69° 41′ | UMa | spring | Cigar Galaxy | |
M83 | Sp | 7.6 | 4/29/24 | 00:37 |
S1/5 T2/5 66°F thin clouds |
M83 is a beautiful but dim face-on spiral known as the Southern Pinwheel. Its inner arms are disturbed and somewhat chaotic looking. It is encased by a bubble of faint haze.This Messier object is even lower in the sky than M68. I was glad to capture this one before it sinks back into the southern hemisphere. | 11x10 | 15 million | 13h 37m | -29° 52′ | Hya | spring | Southern Pinwheel | |
M84 | Ln | 9.1 | 3/30/24 | 23:17 |
T3/5 S2/5 |
The above image is a 2 minute stack, with galaxy labels. The above image is a 5 minute stack (no labels) |
M84 and M86 are two very bright lenticular galaxies that anchor a striking field known as Markarian's Chain. I can see 16 or more galaxies surrounding this pair. The first image has major galaxies in this group labled. Some smaller unlabeled ones can also be detected. It was tricky trying to get all of these squeezed into the frame! | 5 | 60 million | 12h 25.1m | +12° 53′ | Vir | spring | |
M85 | Ln | 9.1 | 3/30/24 | 22:33 |
T3/5 S2/5 |
M85 is a bright lenticular galaxy with a blazingly luminous core. It is surrounded by an oval bulging haze. A bright star sits just next to its left tip (roughly North). Smaller NGC 4394, a mag 10 spiral glaxay, sits to its lower left. Together they make a pretty pair. | 7.1x5.2 | 60 million | 12h 25.5m | +18° 12′ | Com | spring | ||
M86 | Ln | 8.9 | 7.5x5.5 | 60 million | 12h 26.2m | +12° 57′ | Vir | spring | ||||||
M87 | El | 8.6 | 4/28/24 | 22:31 |
S1/5 T2/5 66°F 18% clouds |
So bright but so featureless in the camera! M87 is the home of a supermassive black hole and is known as the radio source Virgo A. A few other tiny galaxies are nearby. | 7 | 60 million | 12h 30.8m | +12° 24′ | Vir | spring | ||
M88 | Sp | 9.6 | 4/28/24 | 22:42 |
S1/5 T2/5 66°F 18% clouds |
M88 is a sweet spiral galaxy that appears elongated, its face tilted slightly away from us. A dark lane can be detected inside the outer(right spiral arm. The core is a small, tight, and star-like. | 7x4 | 60 million | 12h 32.1m | +14° 26′ | Com | spring | ||
M89 | El | 9.8 | 4/28/24 |
23:20 (2 images stitched) |
S1/5 T2/5 66°F |
M89 and M90 make a lovely pair here. M90 is the striking spiral galaxy with a small, but bright, round core, seen in the upper left of the frame. The spiral arms near its core stand out nicely. M89 is the glowing elliptical galaxy to the lower right of center. Although classified as an elliptical galaxy, M89 appears to be almost perfectly round. | 4 | 60 million | 12h 35.7m | +12° 33′ | Vir | spring | ||
M90 | Sp | 9.5 | 4/28/24 |
23:20 (2 images stitched) |
S1/5 T2/5 66°F |
(with M89, see above image) | With M9, see above. | 9.5x4.5 | 60 million | 12h 36.8m | +13° 10′ | Vir | spring | |
M91 | Ba | 10.2 | 3/30/24 | 23:30 |
T3/5 S2/5 |
M91 is a pretty, barred spiral with a bright candy wrapper shaped core. Two tufted tails are being spun off from each tip in circular arc, being sweept clockwise in the surrounding hazy envelope. Another bright but slightly smaller galaxy, NGC 4571, sits directly below M91, next to a bright mag 9 star. | 5.4x4.4 | 60 million | 12h 35.5m | +14° 30′ | Com | spring | ||
M92 | Gc | 6.4 | 4/29/24 | 1:34 |
S1/5 T2/5 |
Sometimes considered M13's lesser known sibling, M92 is a much smaller and more compact globular. Its core is extremely bright and tightly formed. I've often used this nice glob for outreach - it's easy for new observers to see in the eyepiece. | 11.2 | 26700 | 17h 17.1m | +43° 08′ | Her | summer | ||
M93 | Oc | 6.0 | 1/4/24 | 23:56 |
T1/5 S1/5 |
This is a bright pizza-slice of stars sitting in a very crowded Milky Way field. Ground fog has almost reached the scope; had to refocus several times. | 22 | 3600 | 7h 44.6m | -23° 52′ | Pup | winter | ||
M94 | Sp | 8.2 | 3/14/24 | 00:57 |
T2/5 S2/5 (smoke) |
M94 is a celestial three-tiered bullseye. It has a blazingly bright center surrounded by a slightly less bright ring, and then by a much dimmer and dusty outer halo. The outer ring has a small curved area of darkness or void (to the lower left of center in this image). The middle ring has some jagged edges which might be arms separating slightly outwards. | 7x3 | 15 million | 12h 50.9m | +41° 08′ | CVn | spring | ||
M95 | Ba | 9.7 | 2/2/24 | 23:52 |
T3.5/5 S3/5 |
M95 and M96 are neighboring spiral galaxies, both just barely fitting into in the same field here. M96 is larger and more oval in shape than is its smaller, more circular partner. A hint of spiral arms can be seen in M96 despite the low magnification. M96 appears to have dark voids on opposite sides of its bright core, all encircled by a thick outer haze. | 4.4x3.3 | 38 million | 10h 44m | +11° 42′ | Leo | spring | ||
M96 | Sp | 9.2 | 2/2/24 | 23:52 |
T3.5/5 S3/5 |
(See M95 notes above) | 6x4 | 38 million | 10h 46.8m | +11° 49′ | Leo | spring | ||
M97 | Pl | 9.9 | 3/14/24 | 01:55 |
T2/5 S2/5 (smoke) |
The Owl (nebula) and the Surfboard (galaxy) finally rotated around just right to fit in the same shot. Happy to capture them together. The Owl is a cutie and the Surfboard is forever floating along nearby! | 3.4x3.3 | 2600 | 11h 14.8m | +55° 01′ | UMa | spring | Owl Nebula | |
M98 | Sp | 10.1 | 3/30/24 | 21:20 |
T3/5 S2/5 |
M98 is an elongated spiral that looks like it's rolling over on itself. The right edge (in this orientation) is curved and the left edge is flat and straight. Knots and lumps can be seen in the bright spiral arms; the core is bright and round. Tiny companion galaxy, NGC 4186 can be detected just off its bottom right tip. A bright mag 5 star (6 Com) sits at the bottom left of the field. | 9.5x3.2 | 60 million | 12h 13.9m | +14° 55′ | Com | spring | ||
M99 | Sp | 9.9 | 3/30/24 | 21:33 |
T3/5 S2/5 |
Known also as the "Coma Pinwheel Galaxy" or "St Katherine's Wheel", M99 is a lovely, open-armed spiral. It looks almost directly at us, with its curving arms decorated with bluish clumps and knots. One arm is splayed out from the center much more than the rest, with a widening dark void between it and the bright core. Very pretty. | 5.4x4.8 | 60 million | 12h 18.9m | +14° 26′ | Com | spring | ||
M100 | Sp | 9.3 | 3/30/24 | 22:55 |
T3/5 S2/5 |
The above image is at 1 minute, with galaxy labels. The above image is at 5 minutes (no labels) |
Messier 100 is a beautiful face-on spiral, somewhat reminiscent of M99. St Katherine's Wheel. It has two very nice spiral arms sitting opposite one another as they curve around the bright central core. Bulges and knots are evident in both arms. A lovely swirling haze surrounds the arms, echoing their motion. This galaxy sits in a nice field with four other companion galaxies, NGC 4312, 4323, 4328, and IC783. I've incuded a short exposure with these galaxies labeled. | 7x6 | 60 million | 12h 23m | +15° 50′ | Com | spring | |
M101 | Sp | 7.9 | 3/20/24 | 06:45 |
T3/5 S1/5 |
Although dawn was starting to break, grand M101 still graced me with a commanding pose here. This large spiral has a noticeably off-center core with four broad arms sweeping off to one side, giving the impression that it is crawling its way across the starry background, like a crab on the beach. Tiny and dim NGC 5477 can be seen in the upper right quadrant of the field. | 22 | 27 million | 14h 03.2m | +54° 21′ | UMa | spring | Pinwheel Galaxy | |
M102 | Ln | 9.9 | 3/20/24 | 06:55 |
T3/5 S1/5 |
I must admit that M102 was a bit of a let down after viewing M101 (!), but although it is much smaller, its needle-like shape with central bulge became obvious after a short exposure. Longer (and therefore brighter) exposures tended to blow it out and made the shape harder to detect. This lenticular galaxy is also known as the "Spindle Galaxy". | 5.2x2.3 | 40 million | 15h 06.5m | +55° 46′ | Dra | summer | ||
M103 | Oc | 7.4 | 1/4/24 | 21:17 |
T4/5 S3/5 |
This cluster stands out in the field as a crumbled wedge of stars containing a hodge-podge of large and small ones. I like the look. | 6 | 8500 | 1h 33.2m | +60° 42′ | Cas | autumn | ||
M104 | Sp | 8.0 | 4/29/24 | 00:13 |
S2/5 T2/5 |
Pretty M104 is called the Sombrero Galaxy for obvious reasons! The glow of the bright core bulges out over top and bottom of the delicate dust belt that extends across the middle. A beauty! | 9x4 | 50 million | 12h 40m | -11° 37′ | Vir | spring | Sombrero Galaxy | |
M105 | El | 9.3 | 2/2/24 | 23:48 |
T3.5/5 S3/5 |
Messier 105 is the brightest of a galaxy triplet found near Messier 96. It is an elliptical galaxy with a round core surrounded by a hazy shell. Its closest companion, NGC 3384 is similar in size and brightness, but more elongated in appearance. The third galaxy is much smaller and dimmer, with a faded but distinct core and washed out arms. | 2 | 38 million | 10h 47.8m | +12° 35′ | Leo | spring | ||
M106 | Sp | 8.4 | 3/14/24 | 00:32 |
T2/5 S2/5 (smoke) |
Messier 106 is seen here in a field with 5 other galaxies! One of these at the top of the field, NGC 4217, is an especially striking edge-on galaxy which might actually be a physical companion to M106. Big and bright M106 has its face angled very slightly away from us, revealing its spiral interior. One bright arm stands out from the rest and seems to be paired with a dimmer arm directly across from it, giving the structure a diffuse "Z" shape. It is thought to have a supermassive black hole in the center. | 19x8 | 25 million | 12h 18.9m | +47° 19′ | CVn | spring | ||
M107 | Gc | 7.9 | 5/2/24 | 00:37 |
T3/5 S3/5 |
There were so many satellites crossing this area, it looked like Star Wars up there! This globular cluster stood unphased by it all, and showed off a nice resolution of loose stars scattered unevenly around a more concentrated but straggly core. | 10 | 20900 | 16h 32.5m | -13° 03′ | Oph | summer | ||
M108 | Sp | 10.0 | 3/14/24 | 01:55 |
T2/5 S2/5 (smoke) |
The Owl (nebula) and the Surfboard (galaxy) finally rotated around just right to fit in the same shot. Happy to capture them together. The Owl is a cutie and the Surfboard is forever floating along nearby! | 8x1 | 45 million | 11h 11.5m | +55° 40′ | UMa | spring | ||
M109 | Ba | 9.8 | 3/13/24 | 23:58 |
T2/5 S2/5 (smoke) |
Face-on M109 is a joy to observe, with its lazy-S bar and its outer encircling spiral arms. A couple of other tiny galaxies can be seen in the field. | 7x4 | 55 million | 11h 57.6m | +53° 23′ | UMa | spring | ||
M110 | El | 8.5 | 1/4/24 | 20:36 |
T4/5 S3/5 |
Elliptical M110, most notable as a companion galaxy to M31, is not well-defined but has an oval core surrounded by an extensive two-step envelope (denser close to the core, thinner further out). A handful of foreground stars stand out in front of the haze. The edge of "the mothership", galaxy M31, can be glimpsed in the upper left of the field. | 17x10 | 3 million | 00h 40.4m | +41° 41′ | And | autumn |
Messier Catalog Column Descriptions |
|
Heading | Description |
M | Messier Catalog Number |
Mag. | Apparent Visual Magnitude |
Size | Angular Size in Arc-Minutes |
Distance | Distance from Solar System in Light Years |
RA | Right Ascension (J2000) in Hours and Minutes |
Dec | Declination (J2000) in Degrees and Minutes |
Con | IAU Constellation Abbreviation |
Viewing Season |
Best Season for Viewing Messier Object |
Common Name |
Informal or Colloquial Name of Messier Object |
Messier Catalog Object Classification |
||||
Type | Description | Type | Description | |
Oc | Open Cluster | Sp | Spiral Galaxy | |
Gc | Globular Cluster | Ba | Barred Galaxy | |
Pl | Planetary Nebula | Ln | Lenticular Galaxy | |
Di | Diffuse Nebula | El | Elliptical Galaxy | |
As | Asterism | Ir | Irregular Galaxy | |
Ds | Double Star | Sn | Supernova Remnant | |
MW | Milky Way Patch |