"
Charles Messier"
Many
children ask me about the Messier Objects. I was also thinking to write
some notes on Messier. I push this brief-note for you all .Now please read
it and Enjoy!!!
During
the years from 1758 to 1782 Charles Messier, a French astronomer
(1730
- 1817), compiled a list of approximately 100 diffuse objects
that
were difficult to distinguish from comets through the telescopes of
the
day. Discovering comets was the way to make a name for yourself in
astronomy
in the 18th century, and Messier's aim was to catalog the
objects
that were often mistaken for comets.
Fortunately
for us, the Messier Catalog became well known for a much
higher
purpose, as a collection of the most beautiful objects in the sky
including
nebulae, star clusters, and galaxies. It was one of the first
major
milestones in the history of the discovery of Deep Sky objects,
as
it was the first more comprehensive and more reliable list: Only four
objects
were initially missing because of data reduction errors, which
could
be figured out later. Today's versions of the catalog usually
include
also later additions of objects observed by Charles Messier and
his
collegial friend, Pierre Méchain, which were not included in his
original
list. The total number thus goes to 110. The study of these
objects
by astronomers has been leading to important and incredible
discoveries
such as the life cycles of stars, the reality of galaxies as
separate
'island universes' and the possible age of the universe.
At
last if you have some more information about Messier please mail to me or
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