The Messier Objects

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Messier Objects
Chapter1
Chapter2
Chapter3
Chapter4
Chapter5
Chapter6
Appendix

Contents

Foreword by David H. Levy vii

Preface ix

Acknowledgments xiii

APPENDIX A

Objects Messier could not find 297

APPENDIX B

Messier marathons 299

APPENDIX C

A quick guide to navigating the Coma-Virgo cluster 301

APPENDIX D

Suggested reading 303

Alternate name and object index 305

contents

Foreword

A fragile observing log, yellowed with age, lay protected under glass in the main hall of the Paris Observatory, a room crowded with old telescopes that whispered memories of starlit nights long past. On the log's pages, in words written more than two centuries earlier, the great comet hunter Charles Messier commented on the weather, sky conditions, how his observing sessions went, and his plans for a new telescope. The thought occurred to me that Times really haven't changed. The concerns he had then are my concerns today, and the feeling he must have had as he peered through his telescope at some unknown fuzzy object, his brief moment of tension - could it be a comet?-isa feeling I know well from my own comet searches. As I read Messiefs words, the years began to fall away. There he was, surveying the sky from the tower of the Hotel de Cluny, sorting out comets from unknown nebulae and star clusters, and there I was right next to him.

Charles Messiefs story is a prime example of serendipity in astronomy: we remember him today more for his catalogue of noncometary celestial objects than for the comets he discovered. Yet Messier was the first person to discover comets as part of an organized search for them. To optimize his search efforts he kept a list of nebulous objects that merely masquerade as comets so that he and others would not be fooled by them more than once. The 12 comets he is credited with discovering are all long gone, but his catalogue of more than 100 deep-sky treasures remains a collection of some of the finest showpieces in the heavens.

My own hunt for the Messier objects began in August 1962, with Echo, my 3-inch reflector telescope, and the Andromeda Galaxy as my first quarry. Using a nearby 4th-magnitude star coupled to two fainter stars as an arrow, I moved the telescope gently across two or three fields of view. Suddenly my eye caught sight of a bright patch of fuzzy light. There it was, my first Messier object, right where it belonged. It may have looked like only a cloud in the sky, but I would read that its light had left that galaxy more than a million years ago (today we know it's more than 2 million). And that made the experience one I would never forget.

There can be no better exercise for a beginning astronomer than to And and observe all of the Messier objects. It is the best way to get acquainted with the riches the night sky has to offer. The stunning beauty of the Orion Nebula (Messier 42), the delicate wispy stmeture of the Omega Nebula (Messier 17), and the vastness of the Andromeda Galaxy

Foreword (Messier 31) just hint at the grandeur represented by these gems of deep space.

Charles Messier would have been proud to know the author of this book. Without a doubt, Steve O'Meara is one of the best visual observers in the world today. In 1985 he became the first person to see Halley's Comet since 1911 - a full seven months before anyone else saw it. (Messier himself had wanted to be the first to herald Halley's Comet's 1758 return, but another observer beat him to it.) Steve's acute planetary observations are highly regarded, and his intricate drawings of deep-sky objects are superb. Steve has written a book that will guide you through the sky to meet the Messier objects one by one. Finding them is both fun and challenging; this book will turn that challenge into a memorable, and perhaps even a lifelong voyage of discovery.

David H. Levy

viii


Foreword

preface

l\vo and a half centuries ago a French comet hunter named Charles Messier began compiling a catalogue of nebulous sky objects. He explained

What caused me to undertake the catalogue was the nebula I discovered above the southern horn ofTaurus on 12 Sept. 1758, while observing the comet of that year.... This nebula had such a resemblance to a comet, in its form and brightness, that I endeavored to find others, so that astronomers would not confuse these same nebulae with comets just beginning to shine.

Messier died long before twentieth-century astronomers realized the profound nature of these hauntingly diffuse glows. The 110 "Messier objects/1 it turns out, are an eclectic collection of celestial treasures: 39 galaxies, 57 star clusters, 9 nebulae, a supernova remnant, a swath of Milky Way, a tiny grouping of stars, a double star, and even a duplication. The list includes the most massive and luminous galaxy known, the ghostly remains of a cataclysmic stellar explosion, and an immense cosmic cloudscape that cradles newborn stars in dense cocoons of hydrogen gas.

Every Messier object is within reach of a small telescope, and many are visible with binoculars and the naked eye, especially under clear, dark skies far away from city lights. Amateur astronomers of all ages enjoy tackling the Messier catalogue members, because they represent a good sampling of whats “out there；' and because finding them helps to hone observing skills. In a sense, the Messier objects are the testing grounds for budding skywatchers.

The Messier objects entered my life in 1966, when I was 10 years old. They were mentioned in the Sky Observer's Guide, a Golden Guide by R. Newton Mayall and Margaret Mayall, whose words also taught me the basics of astronomy. I quickly located the brightest Messier objects from my back porch in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Then one winter evening a friend loaned me his 2-inch refractor. I recall pointing its white enameled tube over a frozen city landscape, beyond the smoking chimneys, and seeing swirls of nebulosity surrounding the Trapezium, a group of young, bright stars in the mighty Orion Nebula (Messier 42, or M42), then the knitted stars of ihe Pleiades (M45) - Lord Tennyson's Mglittering swarm of fireflies tangled in a silver braid." These views were visual poetry, and like Tennyson and countless others before him, I became captivated by the allure of the stars.

Several years later, when I acquired a 4%-inch reflector, another friend gave me a box of S幼 & Telescope magazines - a monthly publication devoted to the hobby of amateur astronomy. An article immediately caught my eye; it was one in a series by John Mallas and Evered Kreimer spotlighting the Messier objects. Each article featured drawings by Mallas and photographs by Kreimer, as well as visual descriptions and brief histories of the objects. On the first clear night I eagerly set up the scope, and with magazines and red flashlight in hand, I followed along with Mallas and Kreimer as they toured the “M" objects. No longer feeling alone in my pursuits, I began dedicating one clear night to each Messier object -studying it, writing down impressions, and making drawings.

That Mallas and Kreimer series was later compiled into a book called The Messier Album, which served the astronomical community for many years to follow. But time has marched on. The optical quality of many commercially available telescopes and eyepieces is superior to the telescope Mallas used a quarter-century ago, providing sharper images and revealing fainter details. We also have more accurate astronomical information today about many of the objects - their sizes, distances, magnitudes, and more - than we did when The Messier Album was written. Object positions and maps have been updated to equinox 2000.0 coordinates from the equinox 1975.0 coordinates used by Mallas and Kreimer. Clearly, the time was right for a fresh new look at these classical astronomical specimens.

As observers today, we are not only better equipped but also wiser. Looking back, it is hard to believe that Mallas used a 4-inch f/15 refractor to make his observations. Although a popular telescope type in its day, it was best suited for studying the moon and planets. Today's deep-sky observers prefer rich-field telescopes over long-focus refractors. It is also amazing that Mallas made his observations from a Los Angeles suburb tainted by light pollution and smog! These problems are even more pervasive today and represent an insidious threat to our continued enjoyment of the heavens. More and more, residents of cities and suburbs must pack their gear and drive some distance from their homes to less populated areas to enjoy a night under the stars. And several times a year thousands of amateur astronomers journey to national conventions and star parties held at first-class, dark-sky sites. In fact, one such journey inspired this book.

For a week in May 1994,1 attended the Texas Star Party, a deep-sky observing event held on the Prude Ranch near Fort Davis, Texas, at an altitude of just over 5,000 feet. One sparkling-clear night, Al Nagi er, founder ofleleVue Optics, showed me a wide-field view of the Milky Way 一 specifically, the region known as M24 - through his 4-inch Genesis refractor. The field was bristling with starlight and threads of dark nebulosity. I didift want to take my eye from the telescope. Later that week, I boi rowed another Friend's Genesis and spent three hours studying the Whirlpool

Galaxy (M51) in Canes Venatici; 1 spent many more hours on subsequent nights. The graceful spiral arms, the numerous punctuating knots- all the

subtle detail was awesome to behold. I began to wonder what the other


Messier objects would look like through a telescope of uncompromising quality, with superior eyepieces, and viewed from the darkest sites on earth. Thus, I decided to revisit, one by one, the deep-sky gems that Charles Messier catalogued more than two centuries ago, and that started n】e on what was to become my latest adventure in an already long and exciting career in astronomical observation, teaching, and writing. The result is this book, which I hope will inspire and inform you as much as less others who have used (hem.

Mallas and Kreimers seminal articles and book did for me and the count-


The purpose of this book is to provide new and experienced observers with a fresh perspective on the Messier objects. Chapter 1 is a brief account by world-renowned comet discoverer David Levy of the life of Charles Messier, a comet hunter himself, and how his catalogue of deep-sky curiosities came to be. Chapter 2 introduces beginners to the basics of skywatching and to some important terms and concepts. It is designed specifically to help newcomers orient themselves to the sky and start locating the brightest Messier objects. In chapter 3, "The Making of This Book," I review the methods and the equipment with which I conducted the observations described herein and provide additional information about the book's content.

Of course, the heart of this book is chapter 4, which looks in detail at each Messier object. Since this book is a “companion," I've used a conversational tone： I speak (o you as if I'm with you in the field. Along with the descriptive text, I have provided for each object a list of essential data including its coordinates, size, brightness, and distance. The equinox 2000.0 finder charts have been carefully drafted to work together with Wil Tirion's all-new, wide-field constellation map at the back of the book; together they will enable you to quickly zero in on your targets. A new and comprehensive translation of Messiefs original published catalogue was commissioned and is included here. It supersedes earlier translations, which often were abridged and prone to occasional errors and misinterpretations. I have also included, in appendix A, the endnotes to Messier's original catalogue, in which he lists a number of objects reported by other observers (hai he tried, but failed, to find himsclf.

The detailed drawings I made of the Messier objects are another distinctive feature of this book. Each drawing was based on several hours of observing each object over several extremely transparent nights. 1 think you will find these illustrations revealing and useful in helping you to see subtle details in (he objects that you may not have noticed before (and which may not be apparent in photographs). I have also updated and revised many of the objects* magnitude estimates, offered thoughts about some of the "missing" Messier objects, and distributed observing challenges throughout the chapter.

In chapter 5, Some thoughts on Charles Messier, I offer some summarizing thoughts or "analysis" on Messier and his catalogue, which I felt compelled to do having spent so much time thinking about the man and what he saw - and didn't see. I also felt compelled to describe, even in a book devoted to the Messier catalogue, 20 of my favorite zjo/rMessier objects, in chapter 6. Consider them honorable mentions to the catalogue that are conspicuous by their absence from it and certainly deserving of a look while you're out hunting Messier objects.

The appendices contain additional information that you will find useful, including a brief discussion about "Messier marathons/* a guide to navigating the Coma-Virgo Cluster, and a suggested reading list.

Perhaps the most unique aspect of this book, and what I most want to convey, is the approach I take to observing. It's an approach based on creative perception and on using the imagination to see patterns and shapes in the subjects seen through the eyepiece. It involves using not just your eye but also your mind's eye to associate those patterns and shapes with things that are familiar to you, to create pictures and even stories. Rather than barrage you with just facts (of which you get plenty),! thought you'd also enjoy seeing these objects in new ways - especially the clusters, whose multitude of inherent shapes lend themselves to being seen as celestial Rorschach tests. By using the imagination you can add another dimension to your observing 一 a highly personal and entertaining one (after all, this is a hobby). Anyone who has read Hard Times by Charles Dickens will understand rr)y protest of a diet consisting totally of fact. (By teaching youngsters fact not fancy, conformity not curiosity, Dickenss bleak character Thomas Gradgrind tried to stifle inquisitive minds.) If you have never gazed at the ethereal quality of a Messier object through a telescope, I encourage you to look upon them as you would a painting or a piece of art - and let that art add meaning to your experience.

It is my hope that this book will not only introduce you to the objects themselves - or reintroduce you, as the case may be - but that it will also challenge you to raise your observing skills to a higher level and to push your visual limits. I hope it compels you to search for new and mysterious aspects about these objects, to see them in rich and creative ways, and to grow as an observer.

I know the magic of the Messier objects because I have been under their spell for three decades, loday I see the same magic in my wife's eyes, whenever she raises her binoculars to the sky and happens upon her "comets." May the spell never be broken.

Stephen James O'Meara

Volcano, Hawaii

Acknowledgments

“If I have seen so far, it is because 1 have stood on the shoulders of giants." Like Sir Isaac Newton and others before and after him who used this axiom, I would like to recognize the giants who have helped me in my observational and literary journeys.

Highest tribute goes to the late Walter Scott Houston, who shared his observing experiences and techniques in his Deep-Sky Wonders column in Sky & Telescope magazine for so many years. I will never forget the times we spent by the campfire at the annual Stellafane Convention on Breezy Hill in Vermont, or in chaise longues at the Winter Star Party in the Florida Keys, just gazing at the stars and musing on the limits ofvision.

I am honored to recognize George Phillips Bond (1825-1865), second director of Harvard College Observatory, whose dedication to unlocking (he visual mysteries of the Orion Nebula with the Harvard Observatory's 15-inch refractor led ultimately to his premature death. Reading his diaries(wo decades ago kept me enchanted on many a cloudy night, and taught me how to be a patient and persistent observer.

A deep bow to "envelope pushers" Barbara Wilson and Larry Mitchell, who roped and tied this wild planetary observer at the Texas Star Party and force-fed me deep-deep-deep-sky objects until I became a convert - thank you (I think)! Assisting them was a phalanx of galaxy hunters, including David Eicher, Tippy and Patty D'Auria, and Jack Newton. Brian Skiff introduced me to many visual challenges, including seeing faint globular clusters with the naked eye. Peter Collins first introduced me to (he more challenging Messier objects. David Levy was always around to say, "No, Steve, that's a galaxy not a comet." And at several star parties. Torn and Jeannie Clark were incredibly generous with their lectron telescopes, encouraging me to sweep【he Coma Cluster with these enormous Dobsonians until I nearly fainted w让h delight.

Al Nagler and the editors of Sky& Telescope wi\\ never fully know how grateful I am to them for helping me to complete this journey. Thanks for your special encouragement and support.

Steve Peters gets the blue ribbon for nurturing the book idea, and kudos to Simon Mitton and Cambridge University Press for publishing the work. Special thanks to Lee Coombs, Martin Germano, Chuck Vaughn and George Viscome for their stunning astrophotographs. I greatly appreci-aicd the expert assistance of Brent A. Archinal, Kevin Krisciunas, Larry Mitchell, Brian Skiff, and Barbara Wilson, who reviewed drafts of the text and made necessary corrections and welcome suggestions. Thanks to

Steve and Tom Bisque of Software Bisque for their generous donation of The Sky astronomy software, which was used in creating the finder charts, and to master astronomical cartographer Wil Tirion for the wide-field map of the Messier objects at the back of the book. Thanks also to my good friend Storm Dunlop for his excellent translation of Messier's catalogue from the original French.

Kudos to Nina Barron for her expert, sensible, and sensitive copyediting of the manuscript. Heartfelt appreciation to the Dillingham family -Ken, Lina, Serena, and Karen - for the use of their ranch in the saddle of Kilauea and Mauna Loa volcanoes, where clear skies, steady seeing, and the feeling of home helped me to finish the observations on time. Thanks also to Nina Barron for proofreading the manuscript.

And no words can express the love and devotion I have for my wife, Donna, who, despite having been "husbandless" for a year, found solace in exploring erupting volcanoes, practicing her "free dives" to unknown depths, and peering inquisitively into the eyes of the night.

Finally, I would like to thank our "children," Pele-Hiiaka of Volcano, Milky Way, and Miranda-Pywacket for keeping their digits off the keyboard when I wasnl looking. Alas, I cannot blame them if any errors have sneaked unannounced into this book; I take full responsibility.

DAVID H・ LEVY