List of discoverers of Messier objects
This is a list of each Messier object, and its discoverer. Excluding naked-eye objects, all Messier Objects were discovered between the year 1654 and 1782.
| Messier object | Discoverer | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Messier 1 | John Bevis | 1731 |
| Messier 2 | Jean-Dominique Maraldi | 1746 |
| Messier 3 | Charles Messier | 1764 |
| Messier 4 | Philippe Loys de Chéseaux | 1745 |
| Messier 5 | Gottfried Kirch | 1702 |
| Messier 6 | Giovanni Battista Hodierna | 1654 |
| Messier 7 | Naked eye | |
| Messier 8 | Giovanni Battista Hodierna | 1654 |
| Messier 9 | Charles Messier | 1764 |
| Messier 10 | Charles Messier | 1764 |
| Messier 11 | Charles Messier | 1764 |
| Messier 12 | Charles Messier | 1764 |
| Messier 13 | Edmond Halley | 1714 |
| Messier 14 | Charles Messier | 1764 |
| Messier 15 | Jean-Dominique Maraldi | 1746 |
| Messier 16 | Philippe Loys de Chéseaux | 1745-6 |
| Messier 17 | Philippe Loys de Chéseaux | 1745 |
| Messier 18 | Charles Messier | 1764 |
| Messier 19 | Charles Messier | 1764 |
| Messier 20 | Charles Messier | 1764 |
| Messier 21 | Charles Messier | 1764 |
| Messier 22 | Johann Abraham Ihle | 1665 |
| Messier 23 | Charles Messier | 1764 |
| Messier 24 | Charles Messier | 1764 |
| Messier 25 | Philippe Loys de Chéseaux | 1745 |
| Messier 26 | Charles Messier | 1764 |
| Messier 27 | Charles Messier | 1764 |
| Messier 28 | Charles Messier | 1764 |
| Messier 29 | Charles Messier | 1764 |
| Messier 30 | Charles Messier | 1764 |
| Messier 31 | Naked eye | |
| Messier 32 | Guillaume Le Gentil | 1749 |
| Messier 33 | Giovanni Battista Hodierna | 1654 |
| Messier 34 | Giovanni Battista Hodierna | 1654 |
| Messier 35 | Philippe Loys de Chéseaux | 1745 |
| Messier 36 | Giovanni Battista Hodierna | 1654 |
| Messier 37 | Charles Messier | 1764 |
| Messier 38 | Giovanni Battista Hodierna | 1654 |
| Messier 39 | Guillaume Le Gentil | 1749 |
| Messier 40 | Charles Messier | 1764 |
| Messier 41 | Giovanni Battista Hodierna | 1654 |
| Messier 42 | Naked eye | |
| Messier 43 | Jean-Jacques d'Ortous de Mairan | 1731 |
| Messier 44 | Naked eye | |
| Messier 45 | Naked eye | |
| Messier 46 | Charles Messier | 1771 |
| Messier 47 | Giovanni Battista Hodierna | 1654 |
| Messier 48 | Charles Messier | 1771 |
| Messier 49 | Charles Messier | 1777 |
| Messier 50 | Giovanni Domenico Cassini | 1711 |
| Messier 51 | Charles Messier | 1773 |
| Messier 52 | Charles Messier | 1774 |
| Messier 53 | Johann Elert Bode | 1775 |
| Messier 54 | Charles Messier | 1778 |
| Messier 55 | Nicolas Louis de Lacaille | 1752 |
| Messier 56 | Charles Messier | 1779 |
| Messier 57 | Charles Messier | 1779 |
| Messier 58 | Charles Messier | 1779 |
| Messier 59 | Johann Gottfried Koehler | 1779 |
| Messier 60 | Johann Gottfried Koehler | 1779 |
| Messier 61 | Barnaba Oriani | 1779 |
| Messier 62 | Charles Messier | 1772 |
| Messier 63 | Pierre Méchain | 1779 |
| Messier 64 | Edward Pigott | 1779 |
| Messier 65 | Charles Messier | 1780 |
| Messier 66 | Charles Messier | 1780 |
| Messier 67 | Johann Gottfried Koehler | 1779 |
| Messier 68 | Charles Messier | 1780 |
| Messier 69 | Charles Messier | 1780 |
| Messier 70 | Charles Messier | 1780 |
| Messier 71 | Philippe Loys de Chéseaux | 1745 |
| Messier 72 | Pierre Méchain | 1781 |
| Messier 73 | Charles Messier | 1781 |
| Messier 74 | Pierre Méchain | 1780 |
| Messier 75 | Pierre Méchain | 1780 |
| Messier 76 | Pierre Méchain | 1780 |
| Messier 77 | Pierre Méchain | 1780 |
| Messier 78 | Pierre Méchain | 1780 |
| Messier 78 | Pierre Méchain | 1780 |
| Messier 79 | Pierre Méchain | 1780 |
| Messier 80 | Charles Messier | 1781 |
| Messier 81 | Johann Elert Bode | 1774 |
| Messier 82 | Johann Elert Bode | 1774 |
| Messier 83 | Nicolas Louis de Lacaille | 1752 |
| Messier 84 | Charles Messier | 1781 |
| Messier 85 | Pierre Méchain | 1781 |
| Messier 86 | Charles Messier | 1781 |
| Messier 87 | Charles Messier | 1781 |
| Messier 88 | Charles Messier | 1781 |
| Messier 89 | Charles Messier | 1781 |
| Messier 90 | Charles Messier | 1781 |
| Messier 91 | Charles Messier | 1781 |
| Messier 92 | Johann Elert Bode | 1777 |
| Messier 93 | Charles Messier | 1781 |
| Messier 94 | Pierre Méchain | 1781 |
| Messier 95 | Pierre Méchain | 1781 |
| Messier 96 | Pierre Méchain | 1781 |
| Messier 97 | Pierre Méchain | 1781 |
| Messier 98 | Pierre Méchain | 1781 |
| Messier 99 | Pierre Méchain | 1781 |
| Messier 100 | Pierre Méchain | 1781 |
| Messier 101 | Pierre Méchain | 1781 |
| Messier 102 | Pierre Méchain | 1781 |
| Messier 103 | Pierre Méchain | 1781 |
| Messier 104 | Pierre Méchain | 1781 |
| Messier 105 | Pierre Méchain | 1781 |
| Messier 106 | Pierre Méchain | 1781 |
| Messier 107 | Pierre Méchain | 1782 |
| Messier 108 | Pierre Méchain | 1782 |
| Messier 109 | Pierre Méchain | 1781 |
| Messier 109 | Charles Messier | 1773 |
References
[edit]- ^ "Messier Object Discovery Statistics". www.messier.seds.org. Retrieved Sep 18, 2025.
- ^ "Discovery Table of the Deep Sky Objects". www.messier.seds.org. Retrieved Sep 18, 2025.
- ^ "Messier Object List". Retrieved Sep 18, 2025.