Charles Messier

Charles Messier
Charles Messier, c. 1770
Born(1730-06-26)26 June 1730
Died12 April 1817(1817-04-12) (aged 86)
Known forMessier catalog
AwardsCross of the Legion of Honor
Scientific career
FieldsAstronomy

Charles Messier (French: [ʃaʁl me.sje]; 26 June 1730 – 12 April 1817) was a French astronomer. He published an astronomical catalogue consisting of 110 nebulae and star clusters, which came to be known as the Messier objects, referred to with the letter M and their number between 1 and 110. Messier's purpose for the catalogue was to help astronomical observers distinguish between permanent and transient visually diffuse objects in the sky.