The Messier Catalog
In 1781, French astronomer and comet hunter Charles Messier
published a catalog of 110 nebulous objects that might be mistaken for
comets. With the crude telescopes of the time, these objects appeared
to be nothing more than fuzzballs; Messier regarded them as not worth
further study. Today Messier objects are known as some of the most
beautiful sights in the sky. The catalog includes galaxies, star
clusters, and nebulae. (To put this story in historical perspective,
realize that the astronomical proof for the existence of galaxies
external to the Milky Way was not obtained until the 1920's!) Under
good sky conditions, the structure of the Messier objects can be
distinguished in even amateur-sized telescopes. Check out some really
nice Web pages with images of all the
Messier objects if you're interested.
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