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
Celestial bearing and elevation at 18:28
This interactive sky map shows the positions of the brightest celestial objects from your location. Move it horizontally to follow how their positions change through the night.
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.
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.
M25
Open Cluster
An open star cluster containing over 60 stars, visible to the naked eye under dark skies, located 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.
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.
M23
Open Cluster
An open star cluster containing approximately 150 stars, located near the Lagoon Nebula in the constellation Sagittarius.
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.
M13
Globular Cluster
The Great Hercules Cluster, a large globular cluster containing several hundred thousand stars, located in the constellation Hercules.
M11
Open Cluster
The Wild Duck Cluster, an open star cluster containing over 2900 stars, located in the constellation Scutum.
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.
M71
Globular Cluster
A loose globular cluster containing tens of thousands of stars, located approximately 12,000 light-years away in the constellation Sagitta.
M2
Globular Cluster
A globular cluster containing hundreds of thousands of stars, located approximately 55,000 light-years away.
M15
Globular Cluster
A dense globular cluster containing hundreds of thousands of stars, located in the constellation Pegasus, approximately 33,600 light-years away.
M3
Globular Cluster
A spectacular globular cluster containing approximately 500,000 stars, situated in the constellation Canes Venatici.
Data Credits
The deep-sky information on this page comes from the OpenNGC project developed by Matteo Verga. OpenNGC provides detailed catalog data for nebulae, galaxies, clusters and other deep-sky objects.
For details or contributions, visit the official repository: OpenNGC GitHub.