Astrophotography
Messier Marathon

Charles Messier was an astronomer that lived between 1730 and 1817. He was a comet hunter and is credited with discovering 20 comets. In his lifelong search for comets, he also encountered dozens comet-looking objects which did not move. He documented these 'fuzzy' objects so that he and other comet hunters would not mistake them for real comets. Messier documented many types of astronomical objects, including globular clusters, open clusters, diffuse and planetary nebula, galaxies, and a supernova remnant. His list of 110 objects comprise the Messier list below.

I hope to one day photograph each of the 110 Messier objects. This is likely to take me a VERY LONG time. The ones that have been completed will appear below. Click on an image to view the photo and get more details.

M1 Supernova Remnant Crab Nebula	M2 Globular Cluster	M3 Globular Cluster	M4 Globular Cluster	M5 Globular Cluster
M6 Open Cluster Butterfly Cluster	M7 Open Cluster The Scorpion's Tail	M8 Diffuse Nebula Lagoon Nebula	M9 Globular Cluster	M10 Globular Cluster
M11 Open Cluster Wild Duck Cluster	M12 Globular Cluster	M13 Globular Cluster Hercules Cluster	M14 Globular Cluster	M15 Globular Cluster
16 Diffuse Nebula & Open Cluster	17 Diffuse Nebula Omega, Swan, Horseshoe, or Lobster Nebula	18 Open Cluster	19 Globular Cluster	20 Diffuse Nebula Trifid Nebula
M21 Open Cluster	M22 Globular Cluster	M23 Open Cluster	M24 Star Cloud Sagittarius Star Cloud	M25 Open Cluster
M26 Open Cluster	M27 Planetary Nebula Dumbbell Nebula	M28 Globular Cluster	M29 Open Cluster Stubby Dipper	M30 Globular Cluster
M31 Galaxy Andromeda Galaxy	M32 Galaxy satellite galaxy of M31	M33 Galaxy Triangulum Galaxy	M34 Open Cluster	M35 Open Cluster
M36 Open Cluster	M37 Open Cluster	M38 Open Cluster	M39 Open Cluster	M40 Double Star
M41 Open Cluster	M42 Diffuse Nebula Orion Nebula	M43 Diffuse Nebula	M44 Open Cluster Beehive Cluster, Praesepe	M45 Open Cluster Pleides
M46 Open Cluster	M47 Open Cluster	M48 Open Cluster	M49 Galaxy	M50 Open Cluster
M51 Galaxy Whirlpool Galaxy	M52 Open Cluster	M53 Globular Cluster	M54 Globular Cluster	M55 Globular Cluster
M56 Globular Cluster	M57 Planetary Nebula Ring Nebula	M58 Galaxy	M59 Galaxy	M60 Galaxy
M61 Galaxy	M62 Globular Cluster	M63 Galaxy Sunflower Galaxy	M64 Galaxy Blackeye Galaxy	M65 Galaxy
M66 Galaxy	M67 Open Cluster	M68 Globular Cluster	M69 Globular Cluster	M70 Globular Cluster
M71 Globular Cluster	M72 Globular Cluster	M73 Open Cluster	M74 Galaxy	M75 Globular Cluster
M76 Planetary Nebula Little Dumbbell Nebula	M77 Galaxy	M78 Diffuse Nebula	M79 Globular Cluster	M80 Globular Cluster
M81 Galaxy Bode's Galaxy	M82 Galaxy Cigar Galaxy	M83 Galaxy Southern Pinwheel	M84 Galaxy	M85 Galaxy
M86 Galaxy	M87 Galaxy	M88 Galaxy	M89 Galaxy	M90 Galaxy
M91 Galaxy	M92 Globular Cluster	M93 Open Cluster	M94 Galaxy	M95 Galaxy
M96 Galaxy	M97 Planetary Nebula Owl Nebula	M98 Galaxy	M99 Galaxy	M100 Galaxy
M101 Galaxy Pinwheel Galaxy	M102 Galaxy	M103 Open Cluster	M104 Galaxy Sombrero Galaxy	M105 Galaxy
M106 Galaxy	M107 Globular Cluster	M108 Galaxy	M109 Galaxy	M110 Galaxy satellite galaxy of M31