Messier Objects Tonight
Messier objects are a set of 110 astronomical objects cataloged by the French astronomer Charles Messier in the 18th century. These objects include a variety of celestial phenomena such as star clusters, nebulae, and galaxies. The catalog was created to help astronomers distinguish between permanent and transient objects in the night sky. Some of the most famous Messier objects include the Andromeda Galaxy (M31), the Orion Nebula (M42), and the Pleiades star cluster (M45). The Messier Catalog remains a popular reference for amateur and professional astronomers alike.Sky Map
Celectial bearing and elevation at 19:54
This skymap is a dynamic visualization that displays the positions of celestial objets in the night sky for your specific location on the current date. It allows you to interactively explore the celestial landscape by moving it horizontally, enabling you to preview how the arrangement of stars will change as the night progresses.
Ptolemy's Cluster (M7)
Open Cluster
A bright open star cluster known as Ptolemy's Cluster, located approximately 980 light-years away in the constellation Scorpius.
Orion Nebula (M42)
Star cluster + Nebula
The Orion Nebula, a bright emission nebula and star-forming region, containing over 700 stars, located approximately 1,344 light-years away in the constellation Orion.
Butterfly Cluster (M6)
Open Cluster
The Butterfly Cluster, an open star cluster containing over 300 stars, located in the constellation Scorpius.
Small Sagittarius Star Cloud (M24)
Association of stars
The Sagittarius Star Cloud, a vast Milky Way star field and nebulous region, visible to the naked eye in the constellation Sagittarius.
M39
Open Cluster
An open star cluster containing approximately 30 stars, located approximately 800 light-years away in the constellation Cygnus.
M25
Open Cluster
An open star cluster containing over 60 stars, visible to the naked eye under dark skies, located in the constellation Sagittarius.
M10
Globular Cluster
A globular cluster containing roughly 100,000 stars, located approximately 14,300 light-years away in the constellation Ophiuchus.
M35
Open Cluster
An open star cluster containing over 1200 stars, located approximately 2,800 light-years away in the constellation Gemini.
M34
Open Cluster
An open star cluster containing over 400 stars, located approximately 1,400 light-years away in the constellation Perseus.
M4
Globular Cluster
A globular cluster notable for its dense core, located in the constellation Scorpius, approximately 7,200 light-years away.
M23
Open Cluster
An open star cluster containing approximately 150 stars, located near the Lagoon Nebula in the constellation Sagittarius.
M19
Globular Cluster
A globular cluster containing hundreds of thousands of stars, located approximately 28,700 light-years away in the constellation Ophiuchus.
M37
Open Cluster
A rich open star cluster containing over 500 stars, located approximately 4,500 light-years away in the constellation Auriga.
M14
Globular Cluster
A globular cluster notable for its tightly packed core, located approximately 30,000 light-years away in the constellation Ophiuchus.
Amas de l'Ecu de Sobieski (M11)
Open Cluster
The Wild Duck Cluster, an open star cluster containing over 2900 stars, located in the constellation Scutum.
Hercules Globular Cluster (M13)
Globular Cluster
The Great Hercules Cluster, a large globular cluster containing several hundred thousand stars, located in the constellation Hercules.
M21
Open Cluster
An open star cluster containing over 80 stars, located near the Trifid Nebula in the constellation Sagittarius.
M5
Globular Cluster
A large globular cluster containing several hundred thousand stars, located in the constellation Serpens.
M36
Open Cluster
An open star cluster containing over 60 stars, visible to the naked eye under dark skies, located approximately 4,100 light-years away in the constellation Auriga.
M12
Globular Cluster
A globular cluster containing hundreds of thousands of stars, situated in the constellation Ophiuchus, approximately 15,700 light-years away.
Data Credits
The nebulae information on this page is sourced from the OpenNGC project, developed by Matteo Verga. OpenNGC provides detailed data on the NGC catalog, which is a valuable resource for exploring deep-sky objects such as nebulae.
For more details or to contribute to OpenNGC, visit the official GitHub repository: OpenNGC on GitHub.