Messier 93 (M93) is an open star cluster located in the constellation Puppis. It lies at a distance of 3,600 light years from Earth. Messier 93 has the designation NGC 2447 in the New General Catalogue. The cluster has an apparent diameter of 22 arc minutes, roughly two thirds the size of the full Moon. This corresponds to a spatial extension of about 20 to 25 light years.
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Messier 78 (M78) is a reflection nebula located in the northern constellation Orion, the Hunter. M78 is the brightest diffuse reflection nebula in the sky. It has an apparent magnitude of 8.3 and lies at an approximate distance of 1,600 light years from Earth. It has the designation NGC 2068 in the New General Catalogue.
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Messier 50 (M50), nicknamed the Heart-Shaped Cluster, is a large, bright open cluster located in the constellation Monoceros. The cluster has an apparent magnitude of 5.9 and lies at an approximate distance of 3,200 light years from Earth. It has the designation NGC 2323 in the New General Catalogue.
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Messier 45 (M45), also known as the Pleiades or Seven Sisters, is a bright open star cluster located in the constellation Taurus, the Bull. The Pleiades cluster has an apparent magnitude of 1.6 and lies at an average distance of 444 light years from Earth. The cluster is also known as Melotte 22. It does not have an NGC designation.
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Messier 43 (M43), also known as De Mairan’s Nebula, is a star-forming region located in the constellation Orion. M43 has an apparent magnitude of 9.0… Read More »Messier 43: De Mairan’s Nebula
Messier 42 (M42), the famous Orion Nebula, is an emission-reflection nebula located in the constellation Orion, the Hunter. With an apparent magnitude of 4.0, the… Read More »Messier 42: Orion Nebula
Messier 1 (M1), also known as the Crab Nebula, Taurus A, or NGC 1952, is an expanding supernova remnant and pulsar wind nebula. It is located in the northern constellation Taurus, the Bull. The Crab Nebula has an apparent magnitude of 8.4 and can be seen with binoculars in good viewing conditions.
Messier 1 is the only supernova remnant listed in Messier’s catalogue and the most famous object of its kind in the night sky. The nebula has a total luminosity 75,000 times that of the Sun and lies at a distance of 6,500 light years from Earth.
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