Messier, Charles, << meh SYAY, sharl >> (1730-1817), was a French astronomer. He prepared the first catalog of nonstellar objects visible from the Northern Hemisphere. Such objects include galaxies, nebulae (clouds of dust and gas), and star clusters. Messier began the catalog in the late 1750’s and completed it in 1784. His listing, called the Catalogue of Nebulae and of Star Clusters, contains 103 nonstellar objects. Messier discovered most of these objects himself. Astronomers still specify the objects in his catalog by their catalog numbers, placing an M for Messier before the number.
Messier did not originally intend to produce a catalog of nonstellar objects. He specialized in tracking comets and, while searching for them, saw hazy objects that did not change position. Messier concluded that these stellar objects were not comets. He recorded their position in the sky so that other astronomers would not confuse them with comets. Messier also discovered 21 comets.
Messier was born on June 26, 1730, in Badonviller, France, near St.-Die (now St.-Dié-des-Vosges). He became chief astronomer of the Marine Observatory in Paris in 1759. Messier died on April 11 or 12, 1817.
See also Nebula.
