Messier Objects

Images of the Messier Objects from the Digitized Sky Survey

(Select the link in the first column for the DSS image; select the link in the last column for color images from The Web Nebulae; see below for a key, credits and additional reading)

MNGCConRADecMagSize (min)TypDistanceCommon Name
--------------------------------------------------------
11952Tau05 34.522 019.06 x 4SNR6.3Crab Nebula
27089Aqr21 33.5-00 497.512.9GCl36
35272CVn13 42.228 237.016.2GCl31
46121Sco16 23.6-26 327.526.3GCl7
55904Ser15 18.602 057.017.4GCl23
66405Sco17 40.1-32 134.515.0OCl2Butterfly Cluster
76475Sco17 53.9-34 493.580.0OCl1Ptolemy's Cluster
86523Sgr18 03.8-24 235.060 x 35C/N6.5Lagoon Nebula
96333Oph17 19.2-18 319.09.3GCl26
106254Oph16 57.1-04 067.515.1GCl13
116705Sct18 51.1-06 167.014.0OCl6Wild Duck Cluster
126218Oph16 47.2-01 578.014.5GCl18
136205Her16 41.736 287.016.6GCl22Hercules Cluster
146402Oph17 37.6-03 159.511.7GCl27
157078Peg21 30.012 107.512.3GCl33
166611Ser18 18.8-13 476.57.0C/N7assoc with Eagle Nebula, Star Queen Nebula
176618Sgr18 20.8-16 117.011.0C/N5Omega Nebula, Swan Nebula, Lobster Nebula
186613Sgr18 19.9-17 088.09.0OCl6
196273Oph17 02.6-26 168.513.5GCl27
206514Sgr18 02.6-23 025.028.0C/N2.2Trifid Nebula
216531Sgr18 04.6-22 307.013.0OCl3
226656Sgr18 36.4-23 546.524.0GCl10
236494Sgr17 56.8-19 016.027.0OCl4.5
246603Sgr18 16.9-18 2911.55.010contains "Delle Caustiche"
25i4725Sgr18 31.6-19 154.940.0OCl2
266694Sct18 45.2-09 249.515.0OCl5
276853Vul19 59.622 437.58.0 x 5.7PlN1.25Dumbbell Nebula
286626Sgr18 24.5-24 528.511.2GCl18
296913Cyg20 23.938 329.07.0OCl7.2
307099Cap21 40.4-23 118.511.0GCl25
31224And00 42.741 164.5178Gal2200Andromeda Galaxy
32221And00 42.740 52108 x 6Gal2200
33598Tri01 33.930 397.073 x 45Gal2300Triangulum Galaxy
341039Per02 4.0242 476.035.0OCl1.4
352168Gem06 80.924 205.528.0OCl2.8
361960Aur05 36.134 086.512.0OCl4.1
372099Aur05 52.432 336.024.0OCl4.6
381912Aur05 28.735 507.021.0OCl4.2
397092Cyg21 32.248 265.532.0OCl0.3
40WIN4UMa12 22.458 059.00.8Double Star WNC4
412287CMa06 47.0-20 445.038.0OCl2.4
421976Ori05 35.4-05 275.085 x 60DfN1.6Orion Nebula
431982Ori05 35.6-05 167.020 x 15DfN1.6de Mairan's nebula; part of Orion Nebula
442632Cnc08 40.119 594.095.0OCl0.5Praesepe, Beehive Cluster
451432Tau03 47.024 071.4110.0OCl0.4Subaru, Pleiades, Seven Sisters
462437Pup07 41.8-14 496.527.0OCl5.4
472422Pup07 36.6-14 304.530.0OCl1.6
482548Hya08 13.8-05 485.554.0OCl1.5
494472Vir12 29.808 00109 x 7.5Gal60000
502323Mon07 03.2-08 207.016.0OCl3
515194CVn13 29.947 128.011 x 7Gal37000Whirlpool Galaxy
527654Cas23 24.261 358.013.0OCl7
535024Com13 12.918 108.512.6GCl56
546715Sgr18 55.1-30 298.59.1GCl83
556809Sgr19 40.0-30 587.019.0GCl17
566779Lyr19 16.630 119.57.1GCl32
576720Lyr18 53.633 029.51.4 x 1.0PlN4.1Ring Nebula
584579Vir12 37.711 4911.05.5 x 4.5Gal60000
594621Vir12 42.011 3911.55 x 3.5Gal60000
604649Vir12 43.711 3310.57 x 6Gal60000
614303Vir12 21.904 2810.56 x 5.5Gal60000
626266Oph17 01.2-30 078.014.1GCl22
635055CVn13 15.842 028.510 x 6Gal37000Sunflower Galaxy
644826Com12 56.721 419.09.3 x 5.4Gal12000Blackeye Galaxy
653623Leo11 18.913 0510.58 x 1.5Gal35000
663627Leo11 20.212 5910.08 x 2.5Gal35000
672682Cnc08 50.411 497.530.0OCl2.25
684590Hya12 39.5-26 459.012.0GCl32
696637Sgr18 34.4-32 219.07.1GCl25
706681Sgr18 43.2-32 189.07.8GCl28
716838Sge19 53.818 478.57.2GCl12
726981Aqr20 53.5-12 3210.05.9GCl53
736994Aqr20 58.9-12 389.02.8
74628Psc01 36.715 4710.510.2 x 9.5Gal35000
756864Sgr20 06.1-21 559.56.0GCl58
76650Per01 42.451 3412.02.7 x 1.8PlN3.4Little Dumbbell Nebula, Cork Nebula
771068Cet02 42.7-00 0110.57 x 6Gal60000
782068Ori05 46.700 038.08 x 6DfN1.6
791904Lep05 24.5-24 338.58.7GCl40
806093Sco16 17.0-22 598.58.9GCl27
813031UMa09 55.669 048.521 x 10Gal11000Bode's Galaxy
823034UMa09 55.869 419.59 x 4Gal11000Cigar Galaxy
835236Hya13 37.0-29 528.511 x 10Gal10000Southern Pinwheel Galaxy
844374Vir12 25.112 5311.05.0Gal60000
854382Com12 25.418 1110.57.1 x 5.2Gal60000
864406Vir12 26.212 5711.07.5 x 5.5Gal60000
874486Vir12 30.812 2411.07.0Gal60000Virgo A
884501Com12 32.014 2511.07 x 4Gal60000
894552Vir12 35.712 3311.54.0Gal60000
904569Vir12 36.813 1011.09.5 x 4.5Gal60000
914548Com12 35.414 3011.55.4 x 4.4Gal60000
926341Her17 17.143 087.511.2GCl26
932447Pup07 44.6-23 526.522.0OCl4.5
944736CVn12 50.941 079.57 x 3Gal14500
953351Leo10 44.011 4211.04.4 x 3.3Gal38000
963368Leo10 46.811 4910.56 x 4Gal38000
973587UMa11 14.855 0112.03.4 x 3.3PlN2.6Owl Nebula
984192Com12 13.814 5411.09.5 x 3.2Gal60000
994254Com12 18.814 2510.55.4 x 4.8Gal60000
1004321Com12 22.915 4910.57 x 6Gal60000
1015457UMa14 03.354 218.522.0Gal24000Pinwheel Galaxy
1025866Dra15 06.555 4510.55.2 x 2.3Gal40000Spindle Galaxy
103581Cas01 33.260 427.06.0OCl8
1044594Vir12 40.0-11 379.59 x 4Gal50000Sombrero Galaxy
1053379Leo10 47.812 3511.02.0Gal38000
1064258CVn12 19.047 189.519 x 8Gal25000
1076171Oph16 32.5-13 0310.010.0GCl20
1083556UMa11 11.555 4011.08 x 1Gal45000
1093992UMa11 57.653 2311.07 x 4Gal55000
110205And00 40.441 4110.017 x 10Gal2200

Key

M: Messier catalog number
NGC: NGC or other catalog number
Con: constellation in which this object is located
RA, Dec: Right Ascension and Declination (2000.0)
Mag: approximateintegrated visual magnitude
Size: angular size in arc minutes (photographic)
Typ: type
     OCl - open cluster
     GCl - globular cluster
     C/N - cluster with nebula
     PlN - planetary nebula
     DfN - diffuse nebula
     Gal - galaxy
     SNR - supernova remnant
Distance: approximate distance in 1000s of light years (values on the
individual pages may differ; the values here are more likely to be correct)
Common Name: popular name of this object

Credits

These images (except for m44 and m110) were taken from the Digitized Sky Survey and posted on alt.binaries.pictures.astro by Richard Bright. I did a little touch up with Photoshop on a few of them. Hartmut Frommert helped with the data.

These images are based on photographic data of the National Geographic Society — Palomar Observatory Sky Survey (NGS-POSS) obtained using the Oschin Telescope on Palomar Mountain. The NGS-POSS was funded by a grant from the National Geographic Society to the California Institute of Technology. The plates were processed into the present compressed digital form with their permission. The Digitized Sky Survey was produced at the Space Telescope Science Institute under US Government grant NAG W-2166.

Investigators using these scans are requested to include the above acknowledgements in any publications.

Copyright (c) 1994, Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc. All rights reserved.

Additional information

Bill Arnett; last updated: 1997 Feb 6