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 01:35
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.
Beehive (M44)
Open Cluster
The Beehive Cluster, an open star cluster containing over 1,000 stars, located approximately 577 light-years away in the constellation Cancer.
M10
Globular Cluster
A globular cluster containing roughly 100,000 stars, located approximately 14,300 light-years away in the constellation Ophiuchus.
M14
Globular Cluster
A globular cluster notable for its tightly packed core, located approximately 30,000 light-years away in the constellation Ophiuchus.
Hercules Globular Cluster (M13)
Globular Cluster
The Great Hercules Cluster, a large globular cluster containing several hundred thousand stars, located in the constellation Hercules.
M5
Globular Cluster
A large globular cluster containing several hundred thousand stars, located in the constellation Serpens.
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.
M3
Globular Cluster
A spectacular globular cluster containing approximately 500,000 stars, situated in the constellation Canes Venatici.
M92
Globular Cluster
Globular cluster one of the oldest clusters known, contains high metallicity stars.
M29
Open Cluster
An open star cluster containing over 400 stars, part of the Cygnus OB1 association, located approximately 4,000 light-years away.
M53
Globular Cluster
A globular cluster containing hundreds of thousands of stars, located approximately 58,000 light-years away in the constellation Coma Berenices.
M56
Globular Cluster
A globular cluster containing tens of thousands of stars, located approximately 32,900 light-years away in the constellation Lyra.
Ring Nebula (M57)
Planetary Nebula
The Ring Nebula, a planetary nebula containing a central white dwarf star, located approximately 2,300 light-years away in the constellation Lyra.
Dumbbell Nebula (M27)
Planetary Nebula
The Dumbbell Nebula, a planetary nebula characterized by its hourglass shape, located approximately 1,360 light-years away in the constellation Vulpecula.
M65
Galaxy
A barred spiral galaxy containing billions of stars, located approximately 35 million light-years away in the constellation Leo.
M59
Galaxy
An elliptical galaxy containing billions of stars, located approximately 60 million light-years away in the constellation Virgo.
M94
Galaxy
Spiral galaxy known for a high rate of star formation and prominent dust lanes.
Sombrero Galaxy (M104)
Galaxy
M104 is a galaxy with apparent magnitude 8.59 in the constellation Virgo, spanning approximately 8.5 arcseconds in the sky.
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.