Messier 18 was discovered and catalogued in 1764 by Charles Messier — for whom the Messier Objects are named — during his search for comet-like objects. It lies within the Milky Way, approximately ...

The Messier marathon is an activity that’s been popular with astronomy clubs since the 1980s. It’s a test of endurance and skill to view each of the 109 deep-sky objects in French comet-hunter Charles ...

Messier 24, initially cataloged by Charles Messier in 1764, was incorrectly identified for over two centuries as NGC 6603. M24 is not a distinct object like a nebula or cluster, but rather a region in ...

The new moon will provide the dark skies skywatchers need to spot some stunning astronomical objects in the Messier catalog this week. The exact moment of August's new moon occurs at 5:39 a.m. EDT ...