Charles MessierBorn 26 Jun 1730; died 12 Apr 1817 at age 86. French astronomer who discovered 15 comets. He was the first to compile a systematic catalog of "M objects." The Messier Catalogue (1784), containing 103 star clusters, nebulae, and galaxies. (In Messier's time a nebula was a term used to denote any blurry celestial light source.) He established alphanumeric names for the objects (M1, M2, etc.), which notation continues to be used in astronomy today.[DSB gives date of death as 11 or 12 Apr 1817. EB gives 12 Apr 1817.] |
