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{{short description|18th- and 19th-century French astronomer}}
{{short description|18th- and 19th-century French astronomer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2019}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2022}}
{{Infobox scientist
{{Infobox scientist
|name = Charles Messier
|name = Charles Messier
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|image_size =
|image_size =
|alt =
|alt =
|caption = Charles Messier
|caption = Charles Messier, {{c.|1770}}
|birth_date = {{birth date|1730|6|26|df=y}}
|birth_date = {{birth date|1730|6|26|df=y}}
|birth_place = [[Badonviller]], [[Kingdom of France|France]]
|birth_place = [[Badonviller]], France
|death_date = {{Death date and age|1817|4|12|1730|6|26|df=y}}
|death_date = {{Death date and age|1817|4|12|1730|6|26|df=y}}
|death_place = [[Paris]], [[Bourbon Restoration|France]]
|death_place = Paris, France
|residence = Paris
|nationality = French
|fields = [[Astronomy]]
|fields = [[Astronomy]]
|workplaces =
|workplaces =
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}}
}}


'''Charles Messier''' ({{IPA-fr|ʃaʁl me.sje|lang}}; 26 June 1730 – 12 April 1817) was a French [[astronomer]]. He published an [[astronomical catalog]]ue consisting of 110 [[nebula]]e and faint [[star cluster]]s, which came to be known as the ''[[Messier object]]s''. The purpose of [[list of Messier objects|the catalogue]] was to help astronomical observers distinguish between permanent and [[transient astronomical event|transient]] visually diffuse [[astronomical object|objects in the sky]].
'''Charles Messier''' ({{IPA-fr|ʃaʁl me.sje|lang}}; 26 June 1730 – 12 April 1817) was a [[French people|French]] [[astronomer]]. He published an [[astronomical catalog]]ue consisting of 110 [[nebula]]e and [[star cluster]]s, which came to be known as the ''[[Messier object]]s'', referred to with the letter M and their number between 1 and 110. Messier's purpose for [[list of Messier objects|the catalogue]] was to help astronomical observers distinguish between permanent and [[transient astronomical event|transient]] visually diffuse [[astronomical object|objects in the sky]].


==Biography==
==Biography==
Messier was born in [[Badonviller]] in the [[Lorraine]] region of [[Kingdom of France|France]], the tenth of twelve children of Françoise B. Grandblaise and Nicolas Messier, a [[Court usher]]. Six of his brothers and sisters died while young, and his father died in 1741. Charles' interest in astronomy was stimulated by the appearance of the [[Great Comet of 1744|great six-tailed comet in 1744]] and by an annular [[solar eclipse]] visible from his hometown on 25 July 1748.
Messier was born in [[Badonviller]] in the [[Lorraine]] region of [[Kingdom of France|France]], in 1730, the tenth of twelve children of Françoise B. Grandblaise and Nicolas Messier, a [[Court usher]]. Six of his brothers and sisters died while young, and his father died in 1741. Charles' interest in astronomy was stimulated by the appearance of the [[Great Comet of 1744|great six-tailed comet in 1744]] and by an annular [[solar eclipse]] visible from his hometown on 25 July 1748.


In 1751, Messier entered the employ of [[Joseph Nicolas Delisle]], the astronomer of the [[French Navy]], who instructed him to keep careful records of his observations. Messier's first documented observation was that of the [[Transit of Mercury|Mercury transit]] of 6 May 1753, followed by his observations journals at Cluny Hotel and at the French Navy observatories.
In 1751, Messier entered the employ of [[Joseph Nicolas Delisle]], the astronomer of the [[French Navy]], who instructed him to keep careful records of his observations. Messier's first documented observation was that of the [[Transit of Mercury|Mercury transit]] of 6 May 1753, followed by his observations journals at [[Musée de Cluny|Cluny Hotel]] and at the French Navy observatories.


In 1764, Messier was made a fellow of the [[Royal Society]]; in 1769, he was elected a foreign member of the [[Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences]]; and on 30 June 1770, he was elected to the [[French Academy of Sciences]].
In 1764, Messier was made a fellow of the [[Royal Society]]; in 1769, he was elected a foreign member of the [[Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences]]; and on 30&nbsp;June 1770, he was elected to the [[French Academy of Sciences]]. He was given the nickname "Ferret of Comets" by [[King Louis XV]].<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Jakiel |first=Richard |date=February 2017 |title=The Obsessive Comet Hunter |magazine=Astronomy |url=https://astronomy.com/magazine/2019/08/the-obsessive-comet-hunter}}</ref>


Messier discovered 13 comets:<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.comethunter.de/cat2002/com_disc.txt |first=Maik |last=Meyer |title=Catalog of comet discoveries |accessdate=15 May 2008 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080716110006/http://www.comethunter.de/cat2002/com_disc.txt |archivedate=16 July 2008 }}</ref>
Messier discovered 13 comets:<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.comethunter.de/cat2002/com_disc.txt |first=Maik |last=Meyer |title=Catalog of comet discoveries |access-date=15 May 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080716110006/http://www.comethunter.de/cat2002/com_disc.txt |archive-date=16 July 2008}}</ref>
* C/1760 B1 (Messier) c/2760
* C/1760 B1 (Messier)
* C/1763 S1 (Messier)
* C/1763 S1 (Messier)
* C/1764 A1 (Messier)
* C/1764 A1 (Messier)
* C/1766 E1 (Messier)
* C/1766 E1 (Messier)
* [[C/1769 P1]] (Messier)
* [[C/1769 P1]] (Messier)
*[[Lexell's Comet|D/1770 L1]] ([[Anders Johan Lexell|Lexell]])
* [[Lexell's Comet|D/1770 L1]] ([[Anders Johan Lexell|Lexell]])
* C/1771 G1 (Messier)
* C/1771 G1 (Messier)
* C/1773 T1 (Messier)
* C/1773 T1 (Messier)
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[[File:Tomb of Messier in Pere Lachaise, Sept 2011.jpg|thumb|right|Messier's grave in [[Père Lachaise Cemetery|Père Lachaise]]]]
[[File:Tomb of Messier in Pere Lachaise, Sept 2011.jpg|thumb|right|Messier's grave in [[Père Lachaise Cemetery|Père Lachaise]]]]
He also co-discovered Comet C/1801 N1, a discovery shared with several other observers including [[Jean-Louis Pons|Pons]], Méchain, and Bouvard.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-Ni4BAAAQBAJ&q=messier-pons+1801&pg=PA83|title=Blazing a Ghostly Trail: ISON and Great Comets of the Past and Future|last=Grego|first=Peter|date=2013-10-19|publisher=Springer Science & Business Media|isbn=9783319017754|language=en}}</ref> ([[Comet Pons-Messier-Méchain-Bouvard]])
He also co-discovered Comet C/1801 N1 ([[Comet Pons-Messier-Méchain-Bouvard]]), a discovery shared with several other observers including [[Jean-Louis Pons|Pons]], Méchain, and Bouvard.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-Ni4BAAAQBAJ&q=messier-pons+1801&pg=PA83|title=Blazing a Ghostly Trail: ISON and Great Comets of the Past and Future|last=Grego|first=Peter|date=19 October 2013|publisher=Springer Science & Business Media|isbn=9783319017754|language=en}}</ref>


Near the end of his life, Messier self-published a booklet connecting the great comet of 1769 to the birth of [[Napoleon]], who was in power at the time of publishing. According to Meyer:<ref>{{cite book |author=Meyer, Maik |title=Charles Messier, Napoleon, and Comet C/1769&nbsp;P1 |year=2007 |page=3 |url=http://www.icq.eps.harvard.edu/meyer_icq29_3t6.pdf}}</ref>{{quotation| As hard as it may seem to accept, the memoir is an ingratiation to Napoleon in order to receive attention and monetary support. It is full of servility and opportunism. Messier did not even refrain from utilizing astrology to reach his goal. Messier comes quickly to the point on the first page of the memoir, by stating that the beginning of the epoch of Napoleon the Great ... coincides with the discovery of one of the greatest comets ever observed.}}
Near the end of his life, Messier self-published a booklet connecting the great comet of 1769 to the birth of [[Napoleon]], who was in power at the time of publishing. According to [[Maik Meyer]]:<ref>{{cite book |author=Meyer, Maik |title=Charles Messier, Napoleon, and Comet C/1769&nbsp;P1 |year=2007 |page=3 |url=http://www.icq.eps.harvard.edu/meyer_icq29_3t6.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141018151421/http://www.icq.eps.harvard.edu/meyer_icq29_3t6.pdf |archive-date=2014-10-18 |url-status=live}}</ref>{{quotation| As hard as it may seem to accept, the memoir is an ingratiation to Napoleon in order to receive attention and monetary support. It is full of servility and opportunism. Messier did not even refrain from utilizing astrology to reach his goal. Messier comes quickly to the point on the first page of the memoir, by stating that the beginning of the epoch of Napoleon the Great ... coincides with the discovery of one of the greatest comets ever observed.}}


Messier is buried in [[Père Lachaise Cemetery]], Paris, in Section&nbsp;11. The grave is faintly inscribed, and is near the grave of [[Frédéric Chopin]], slightly to the west and directly north, and behind the small mausoleum of the jeweller [[Abraham-Louis Breguet]].{{fact|date=November 2019}}
Messier is buried in [[Père Lachaise Cemetery]] in the [[20th arrondissement of Paris|20th arrondissement]] of Paris.


==Messier catalogue==
==Messier catalogue==
{{see also|Messier object}}
{{see also|Messier object}}
[[File:M42m.jpg|thumb|right|The Orion Nebula as drawn by Messier, and which he gave the designation [[Messier 42|M&nbsp;42]] in his catalogue]]
[[File:M42m.jpg|thumb|right|The Orion Nebula as drawn by Messier, and which he gave the designation [[Messier 42|M&nbsp;42]] in his catalogue]]
Messier's occupation as a [[comet]] hunter led him to continually come across fixed diffuse objects in the night sky which could be mistaken for comets. He compiled a [[List of Messier objects|list of them]],<ref>{{cite web |date=25 February 2008 |title=The Messier Catalog |url=http://messier.seds.org/ |work=SEDS Messier Database |publisher=[[Students for the Exploration and Development of Space|SEDS]] |accessdate=8 May 2010}}</ref> in collaboration with his friend and assistant [[Pierre Méchain]] (who may have found at least 20 of the objects<ref name=jones1991>{{cite book |first1=Kenneth Glyn |last1=Jones |year=1991 |title=Messier's nebulae and star clusters |issue=2 |series=Practical astronomy handbook series |edition=2nd |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |isbn=0-521-37079-5 |page=5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IuhLR35I9QUC&pg=PA5}}</ref>), to avoid wasting time sorting them out from the comets they were looking for. The entries are now known to be 39&nbsp;[[galaxies]], 4&nbsp;[[planetary nebula]]e, 7&nbsp;other types of [[nebula]]e, and 55&nbsp;[[star cluster]]s.
Messier's occupation as a [[comet]] hunter led him to continually come across fixed diffuse objects in the night sky which could be mistaken for comets. He compiled a [[List of Messier objects|list of them]],<ref>{{cite web |date=25 February 2008 |title=The Messier Catalog |url=http://messier.seds.org/ |work=SEDS Messier Database |publisher=[[Students for the Exploration and Development of Space|SEDS]] |access-date=8 May 2010}}</ref> in collaboration with his friend and assistant [[Pierre Méchain]] (who may have found at least 20 of the objects<ref name=jones1991>{{cite book |first1=Kenneth Glyn |last1=Jones |year=1991 |title=Messier's nebulae and star clusters |issue=2 |series=Practical astronomy handbook series |edition=2nd |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |isbn=0-521-37079-5 |page=5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IuhLR35I9QUC&pg=PA5}}</ref>), to avoid wasting time sorting them out from the comets they were looking for. The entries are now known to be 39&nbsp;[[galaxies]], 4&nbsp;[[planetary nebula]]e, 7&nbsp;other types of [[nebula]]e, 26&nbsp;[[open cluster|open star cluster]]s and 29&nbsp;[[globular cluster|globular star cluster]]s.


Messier did his observing with a 100&nbsp;mm (four-inch) [[refracting telescope]] from Hôtel de Cluny (now the [[Musée national du Moyen Âge]]), in downtown [[Paris]], [[France]]. The list he compiled only contains objects found in the area of the sky Messier could observe, from the north [[celestial pole]] to a declination of about −35.7°&nbsp;. They are not organized scientifically by object type, or by location. The first version of Messier's catalogue contained 45&nbsp;objects and was published in 1774 in the journal of the [[French Academy of Sciences]] in Paris. In addition to his own discoveries, this version included objects previously observed by other astronomers, with only 17 of the 45&nbsp;objects being discovered by Messier himself.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Knight |first1=J.D. |title=Meet the Astronomers: Charles Messier |url=http://www.seasky.org/space-exploration/astronomers-charles-messier.html |website=Sea and Sky |accessdate=2 September 2014}}</ref> By 1780 the catalog had increased to 80&nbsp;objects.
Messier did his observing with a 100&nbsp;mm (four-inch) [[refracting telescope]] from Hôtel de Cluny (now the [[Musée national du Moyen Âge]]), in downtown [[Paris]], France. The list he compiled only contains objects found in the area of the sky Messier could observe, from the north [[celestial pole]] to a declination of about −35.7°&nbsp;. They are not organized scientifically by object type, or by location. The first version of Messier's catalogue contained 45&nbsp;objects and was published in 1774 in the journal of the [[French Academy of Sciences]] in Paris. In addition to his own discoveries, this version included objects previously observed by other astronomers, with only 17 of the 45&nbsp;objects being discovered by Messier himself.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Knight |first1=J.D. |title=Meet the Astronomers: Charles Messier |url=http://www.seasky.org/space-exploration/astronomers-charles-messier.html |website=Sea and Sky |access-date=2 September 2014}}</ref> By 1780 the catalog had increased to 80&nbsp;objects.


The final version of the catalogue was published in 1781, in the 1784 issue of ''[[Connaissance des Temps]]''.<ref>{{cite journal |first=Charles |last=Messier |year=1781 |title=Catalogue des Nébuleuses & des amas d'Étoiles |journal=Connoissance des Temps Pour l'Année 1784 (Published 1781) |pages=227–267 |bibcode=1781CdT..1784..227M}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Original Messier Catalog of 1781 |website=Messier.seds.org |url=http://messier.seds.org/xtra/Mcat/mcat1781.html#messier1781 |accessdate=10 November 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://messier.seds.org/xtra/history/m-cat81.html |website=Messier.seds.org |title=Charles Messier's personal copy of his 1781 "Catalog of Nebulae and Star Clusters"}}</ref> The final [[list of Messier objects]] had grown to 103. On several occasions between 1921 and 1966, astronomers and historians discovered evidence of another seven objects that were observed either by Messier or by Méchain, shortly after the final version was published. These seven objects, [[Messier 104|M&nbsp;104]] through [[Messier 110|M&nbsp;110]], are accepted by astronomers as "official" Messier objects.
The final version of the catalogue was published in 1781, in the 1784 issue of ''[[Connaissance des Temps]]''.<ref>{{cite journal |first=Charles |last=Messier |year=1781 |title=Catalogue des Nébuleuses & des amas d'Étoiles |journal=Connoissance des Temps Pour l'Année 1784 (Published 1781) |pages=227–267 |bibcode=1781cote.rept..227M }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Original Messier Catalog of 1781 |website=Messier.seds.org |url=http://messier.seds.org/xtra/Mcat/mcat1781.html#messier1781 |access-date=10 November 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://messier.seds.org/xtra/history/m-cat81.html |website=Messier.seds.org |title=Charles Messier's personal copy of his 1781 "Catalog of Nebulae and Star Clusters"}}</ref> The final [[list of Messier objects]] had grown to 103. On several occasions between 1921 and 1966, astronomers and historians discovered evidence of another seven objects that were observed either by Messier or by Méchain, shortly after the final version was published. These seven objects, [[Messier 104|M&nbsp;104]] through [[Messier 110|M&nbsp;110]], are accepted by astronomers as "official" Messier objects.


The objects' Messier designations, from [[Crab Nebula|M&nbsp;1]] to M&nbsp;110, are still used by professional and [[amateur astronomy|amateur astronomers]] today and their relative brightness makes them popular objects in the amateur astronomical community.
The objects' Messier designations, from [[Crab Nebula|M&nbsp;1]] to [[Messier 110|M&nbsp;110]], are still used by professional and [[amateur astronomy|amateur astronomers]] today and their relative brightness makes them popular objects in the amateur astronomical community.


==Legacy==
==Legacy==
[[File:Messierbadon.JPG|thumb|right|upright=1.3|Commemorative plaque in Messier's hometown of Badonviller]]
[[File:Messierbadon.JPG|thumb|right|upright=1.3|Commemorative plaque in Messier's hometown of Badonviller]]
The [[Moon|lunar]] crater [[Messier (crater)|Messier]] and the [[asteroid]] [[7359 Messier]] were named in his honor.<ref>{{cite book |last=Schmadel |first=Lutz D. |author-link=Lutz D. Schmadel |author2=International Astronomical Union |title=Dictionary of minor planet names |year=2003 |publisher=[[Springer-Verlag]] |location=Berlin / New York |isbn=978-3-540-00238-3 |pages=592–593 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KWrB1jPCa8AC&pg=PA592 |accessdate=9 September 2011}}</ref>
The [[Moon|lunar]] crater [[Messier (crater)|Messier]] and the [[asteroid]] [[7359 Messier]] were named in his honour.<ref>{{cite book |last=Schmadel |first=Lutz D. |author-link=Lutz D. Schmadel |author2=International Astronomical Union |title=Dictionary of minor planet names |year=2003 |publisher=[[Springer-Verlag]] |location=Berlin / New York |isbn=978-3-540-00238-3 |pages=592–593 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KWrB1jPCa8AC&pg=PA592 |access-date=9 September 2011}}</ref>


==See also==
==See also==
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* {{cite web |url=http://messier.seds.org/xtra/history/CMessier.html |title=Charles Messier biography |website=Students for the Exploration and Development of Space |access-date=1 July 2007}}
* {{cite web |url=http://messier.seds.org/xtra/history/CMessier.html |title=Charles Messier biography |website=Students for the Exploration and Development of Space |access-date=1 July 2007}}
* {{cite web |url=http://www.ourdarkskies.com/Messiers/cm_page1.php |title=Short biography of Charles Messier and history of the Messier Object Catalog |first=Jon |last=Zander |website=OurDarkSkies.com |access-date=1 July 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070213043058/http://www.ourdarkskies.com/Messiers/cm_page1.php |archive-date=13 February 2007 }}
* {{cite web |url=http://www.ourdarkskies.com/Messiers/cm_page1.php |title=Short biography of Charles Messier and history of the Messier Object Catalog |first=Jon |last=Zander |website=OurDarkSkies.com |access-date=1 July 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070213043058/http://www.ourdarkskies.com/Messiers/cm_page1.php |archive-date=13 February 2007 }}
* {{cite magazine |url=http://www.astrobio.net/amee/spring_2007/retrospections_03.htm |title=Life of a Comet Hunter: Messier and Astrobiology |author1-link=Mark Brake |first1=Mark |last1=Brake |first2=Martin |last2=Griffiths |magazine=Astrobiology Magazine |edition=European |date=Spring 2007 |access-date=1 July 2007}}
* {{cite magazine |url=http://www.astrobio.net/amee/spring_2007/retrospections_03.htm |title=Life of a Comet Hunter: Messier and Astrobiology |author1-link=Mark Brake |first1=Mark |last1=Brake |first2=Martin |last2=Griffiths |magazine=Astrobiology Magazine |edition=European |date=Spring 2007 |access-date=1 July 2007 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110527171357/http://www.astrobio.net/amee/spring_2007/retrospections_03.htm |archive-date=2011-05-27}}


==External links==
==External links==
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* {{cite web |url=http://messier.seds.org/xtra/history/biograph.html |title=Messier biography |website=Messier.seds.org}}
* {{cite web |url=http://messier.seds.org/xtra/history/biograph.html |title=Messier biography |website=Messier.seds.org}}
* {{cite web |url=http://messier.seds.org/xtra/marathon/marathon.html |title=Messier marathon |quote=Attempts to find as many Messier objects as possible in one night}}
* {{cite web |url=http://messier.seds.org/xtra/marathon/marathon.html |title=Messier marathon |quote=Attempts to find as many Messier objects as possible in one night}}
* {{cite web |url=http://www.ngcicproject.org/ |access-date=1 July 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100227154623/http://www.ngcicproject.org/ |archive-date=2010-02-27 |df=dmy-all |title=Revisions of the New General Catalog and Index Catalog |quote=NGC/IC Project is a collaborative effort between professional and amateur astronomers to correctly identify all of the original NGC and IC objects, such that the identity of each of the NGC and IC objects is known with as much certainty as we can reasonably bring to it from the existing historical record.}}
* {{cite web |url=http://www.ngcicproject.org/ |access-date=1 July 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100227154623/http://www.ngcicproject.org/ |archive-date=27 February 2010 |title=Revisions of the New General Catalog and Index Catalog |quote=NGC/IC Project is a collaborative effort between professional and amateur astronomers to correctly identify all of the original NGC and IC objects, such that the identity of each of the NGC and IC objects is known with as much certainty as we can reasonably bring to it from the existing historical record.}}
* {{cite web |url=http://www.space-and-telescope.com/MessierObjects.aspx |archive-date=2014-10-20 |df=dmy-all |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141020085045/http://www.space-and-telescope.com/MessierObjects.aspx |title=Clickable table of Messier objects}}
* {{cite web |url=http://www.space-and-telescope.com/MessierObjects.aspx |archive-date=20 October 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141020085045/http://www.space-and-telescope.com/MessierObjects.aspx |title=Clickable table of Messier objects}}
* {{YouTube |WLxYxTCTD68 |Charles Messier explains his catalog}}
* {{YouTube |WLxYxTCTD68 |Charles Messier explains his catalog}}
* {{cite web|url=https://bibnum.obspm.fr/exhibits/show/messier_english/messier_biographie_english|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=|website=|last=|first=|date=|title=Charles Messier}} a virtual exhibition by the {{cite web |url=https://bibnum.obspm.fr/ |title=Paris Observatory digital library}}
* {{cite web|url=https://bibnum.obspm.fr/exhibits/show/messier_english/messier_biographie_english|title=Charles Messier}} a virtual exhibition by the {{cite web |url=https://bibnum.obspm.fr/ |title=Paris Observatory digital library}}
* [https://bibnum.obspm.fr/ark:/11287/3g4J5 Charles Messier's manuscripts] on [https://bibnum.obspm.fr Paris Observatory digital library]
* [https://bibnum.obspm.fr/ark:/11287/3g4J5 Charles Messier's manuscripts] on [https://bibnum.obspm.fr Paris Observatory digital library]


{{Comets|nonobject=yes}}
{{Messier objects}}
{{Messier objects}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}
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[[Category:People from Meurthe-et-Moselle]]
[[Category:People from Meurthe-et-Moselle]]
[[Category:Discoverers of comets]]
[[Category:Discoverers of comets]]
[[Category:French astronomers]]
[[Category:18th-century French astronomers]]
[[Category:Fellows of the Royal Society]]
[[Category:Fellows of the Royal Society]]
[[Category:Members of the French Academy of Sciences]]
[[Category:Members of the French Academy of Sciences]]

Latest revision as of 23:16, 26 November 2023

Charles Messier
Charles Messier, c. 1770
Born(1730-06-26)26 June 1730
Badonviller, France
Died12 April 1817(1817-04-12) (aged 86)
Paris, France
Known forMessier catalog
AwardsCross of the Legion of Honor
Scientific career
FieldsAstronomy

Charles Messier (French: [ʃaʁl me.sje]; 26 June 1730 – 12 April 1817) was a French astronomer. He published an astronomical catalogue consisting of 110 nebulae and star clusters, which came to be known as the Messier objects, referred to with the letter M and their number between 1 and 110. Messier's purpose for the catalogue was to help astronomical observers distinguish between permanent and transient visually diffuse objects in the sky.

Biography[edit]

Messier was born in Badonviller in the Lorraine region of France, in 1730, the tenth of twelve children of Françoise B. Grandblaise and Nicolas Messier, a Court usher. Six of his brothers and sisters died while young, and his father died in 1741. Charles' interest in astronomy was stimulated by the appearance of the great six-tailed comet in 1744 and by an annular solar eclipse visible from his hometown on 25 July 1748.

In 1751, Messier entered the employ of Joseph Nicolas Delisle, the astronomer of the French Navy, who instructed him to keep careful records of his observations. Messier's first documented observation was that of the Mercury transit of 6 May 1753, followed by his observations journals at Cluny Hotel and at the French Navy observatories.

In 1764, Messier was made a fellow of the Royal Society; in 1769, he was elected a foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences; and on 30 June 1770, he was elected to the French Academy of Sciences. He was given the nickname "Ferret of Comets" by King Louis XV.[1]

Messier discovered 13 comets:[2]

  • C/1760 B1 (Messier)
  • C/1763 S1 (Messier)
  • C/1764 A1 (Messier)
  • C/1766 E1 (Messier)
  • C/1769 P1 (Messier)
  • D/1770 L1 (Lexell)
  • C/1771 G1 (Messier)
  • C/1773 T1 (Messier)
  • C/1780 U2 (Messier)
  • C/1788 W1 (Messier)
  • C/1793 S2 (Messier)
  • C/1798 G1 (Messier)
  • C/1785 A1 (Messier-Méchain)
Messier's grave in Père Lachaise

He also co-discovered Comet C/1801 N1 (Comet Pons-Messier-Méchain-Bouvard), a discovery shared with several other observers including Pons, Méchain, and Bouvard.[3]

Near the end of his life, Messier self-published a booklet connecting the great comet of 1769 to the birth of Napoleon, who was in power at the time of publishing. According to Maik Meyer:[4]

As hard as it may seem to accept, the memoir is an ingratiation to Napoleon in order to receive attention and monetary support. It is full of servility and opportunism. Messier did not even refrain from utilizing astrology to reach his goal. Messier comes quickly to the point on the first page of the memoir, by stating that the beginning of the epoch of Napoleon the Great ... coincides with the discovery of one of the greatest comets ever observed.

Messier is buried in Père Lachaise Cemetery in the 20th arrondissement of Paris.

Messier catalogue[edit]

See also: Messier object
The Orion Nebula as drawn by Messier, and which he gave the designation M 42 in his catalogue

Messier's occupation as a comet hunter led him to continually come across fixed diffuse objects in the night sky which could be mistaken for comets. He compiled a list of them,[5] in collaboration with his friend and assistant Pierre Méchain (who may have found at least 20 of the objects[6]), to avoid wasting time sorting them out from the comets they were looking for. The entries are now known to be 39 galaxies, 4 planetary nebulae, 7 other types of nebulae, 26 open star clusters and 29 globular star clusters.

Messier did his observing with a 100 mm (four-inch) refracting telescope from Hôtel de Cluny (now the Musée national du Moyen Âge), in downtown Paris, France. The list he compiled only contains objects found in the area of the sky Messier could observe, from the north celestial pole to a declination of about −35.7° . They are not organized scientifically by object type, or by location. The first version of Messier's catalogue contained 45 objects and was published in 1774 in the journal of the French Academy of Sciences in Paris. In addition to his own discoveries, this version included objects previously observed by other astronomers, with only 17 of the 45 objects being discovered by Messier himself.[7] By 1780 the catalog had increased to 80 objects.

The final version of the catalogue was published in 1781, in the 1784 issue of Connaissance des Temps.[8][9][10] The final list of Messier objects had grown to 103. On several occasions between 1921 and 1966, astronomers and historians discovered evidence of another seven objects that were observed either by Messier or by Méchain, shortly after the final version was published. These seven objects, M 104 through M 110, are accepted by astronomers as "official" Messier objects.

The objects' Messier designations, from M 1 to M 110, are still used by professional and amateur astronomers today and their relative brightness makes them popular objects in the amateur astronomical community.

Legacy[edit]

Commemorative plaque in Messier's hometown of Badonviller

The lunar crater Messier and the asteroid 7359 Messier were named in his honour.[11]

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Jakiel, Richard (February 2017). "The Obsessive Comet Hunter". Astronomy.
  2. ^ Meyer, Maik. "Catalog of comet discoveries". Archived from the original on 16 July 2008. Retrieved 15 May 2008.
  3. ^ Grego, Peter (19 October 2013). Blazing a Ghostly Trail: ISON and Great Comets of the Past and Future. Springer Science & Business Media. ISBN 9783319017754.
  4. ^ Meyer, Maik (2007). Charles Messier, Napoleon, and Comet C/1769 P1 (PDF). p. 3. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 October 2014.
  5. ^ "The Messier Catalog". SEDS Messier Database. SEDS. 25 February 2008. Retrieved 8 May 2010.
  6. ^ Jones, Kenneth Glyn (1991). Messier's nebulae and star clusters. Practical astronomy handbook series (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 5. ISBN 0-521-37079-5.
  7. ^ Knight, J.D. "Meet the Astronomers: Charles Messier". Sea and Sky. Retrieved 2 September 2014.
  8. ^ Messier, Charles (1781). "Catalogue des Nébuleuses & des amas d'Étoiles". Connoissance des Temps Pour l'Année 1784 (Published 1781): 227–267. Bibcode:1781cote.rept..227M.
  9. ^ "Original Messier Catalog of 1781". Messier.seds.org. Retrieved 10 November 2007.
  10. ^ "Charles Messier's personal copy of his 1781 "Catalog of Nebulae and Star Clusters"". Messier.seds.org.
  11. ^ Schmadel, Lutz D.; International Astronomical Union (2003). Dictionary of minor planet names. Berlin / New York: Springer-Verlag. pp. 592–593. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3. Retrieved 9 September 2011.

References[edit]

External links[edit]

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