Messier Catalog
The Messier catalog lists 110 of the most beautiful star clusters, nebulae, and galaxies in the northern hemisphere. Charles Messier published the catalog in the 1770s and 1780s, as an aid to comet hunters – these objects can look like comets in a small telescope, but Messier found they do not move with respect to the stars as comets would. Below are images taken by Calvin students in courses and in independent projects, using the Calvin Observatory and the Calvin-Rehoboth Robotic Observatory. Click on any picture below to see a larger image and read more information about the object.
 M1 Crab Supernova Remnant |
 M2 Globular Cluster |
 M3 Globular Cluster |
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M5 Globular Cluster |
M6 Butterfly M7 Ptolemy's |
M8 Lagoon Diffuse Nebula |
M9 M10 |
 M11 Wild Duck Open Cluster |
M12 Globular Cluster in Ophiuchus |
 M13 Hercules Globular Cluster |
 M14 Globular Cluster |
 M15 Globular Cluster |
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M18 M19 |
 M20 Trifid Diffuse Nebula |
M21 Open Cluster in Sagittarius M22 Globular Cluster in Sagittarius M23
Open Cluster in Sagittarius |
M24 Milky Way Patch in Sagittarius M25 Open Cluster in Sagittarius M26 Open Cluster in Scutum |
 M27 Dumbbell Planetary Nebula |
M28 Globular Cluster in Sagittarius |
M29 Open Cluster |
M30 |
 M31 Andromeda Spiral Galaxy |
 M32 Elliptical Galaxy |
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M34 Open Cluster in Perseus |
 M35 Open Cluster |
 M36 Open Cluster |
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M38 Open Cluster in Auriga |
M39
Open Cluster in Cygnus |
| M40 Double Star in Ursa Major | M41
Open Cluster in Canis Major |
 M42 Orion Diffuse Nebula |
 M43 de Mairan's Diffuse Nebula |
M44 Beehive |
 M45 Pleiades Open Cluster |
M46 Open Cluster in Puppis |
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 M53 Globular Cluster |
M54
Globular Cluster in Sagittarius |
M55 Globular Cluster in Sagittarius |
 M56 Globular Cluster |
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 M58 Spiral Galaxy |
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 M60 Elliptical Galaxy |
 M61 Spiral Galaxy |
M62
Globular Cluster in Ophiuchus |
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 M64 Blackeye Spiral Galaxy |
 M65 Spiral Galaxy |
 M66 Spiral Galaxy |
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M68 Globular Cluster in Hydra M69 Globular Cluster in Sagittarius |
M70 Globular Cluster in Sagittarius M71 Globular Cluster in Sagitta
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 M72 Globular Cluster |
M73 Asterism |
 M74 Spiral Galaxy |
M75
Globular Cluster in Sagittarius |
 M76 Little Dumbbell Planetary Nebula |
 M77 Spiral Galaxy |
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M79 Globular Cluster in Lepus M80 Globular Cluster in Scorpius |
 M81 Bode's Spiral Galaxy |
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 M83 Southern Pinwheel Galaxy |
 M84 Lenticular Galaxy |
 M85 Lenticular Galaxy |
 M86 Lenticular Galaxy |
 M87 Elliptical Galaxy |
 M88 Spiral Galaxy |
 M90 Spiral Galaxy |
 M91 Spiral Galaxy |
 M92 Globular Cluster |
M93 Open Cluster in Puppis |
 M94 Spiral Galaxy |
 M95 Spiral Galaxy |
 M96 Spiral Galaxy |
 M97 Owl Planetary Nebula |
 M98 Spiral Galaxy in Coma Berenices |
 M99 Spiral Galaxy |
 M100 Spiral Galaxy |
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 M103 Open Cluster |
 M104 Sombrero Spiral Galaxy |
 M105 Elliptical Galaxy |
 M106 Spiral Galaxy |
M107 Globular Cluster in Ophiuchus |
 M108 Spiral Galaxy |
 M109 Spiral Galaxy |
 M110 Elliptical Galaxy |
