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MESSIER THE FRENCH CONNECTION TO THE HEAVENS Professor John C. Mannone Tamke-Allan Observatory March 20, 2004 Charles Messier June 26, 1730 - April 12, 1817 As a young astronomer in Paris in 1758, he early became involved in the search for Halley's comet which was predicted for 1758-59. The celebrated French astronomer discovered 20 comets (13 original). Of the 50 comets of 1758-1806, when Messier actively searched for them, he observed and described a total of 44. He also produced the Catalog of Nebulae and Star Clusters 1730, June 26 Charles Messier was born in Badonviller, Lorraine, France; 10th of 12 children. 1741 The Father of Messier dies. 1772 Birth of Messier's son, Antoine-Charles (March 15), followed by the death of both Madame Messier (March 23) and their son (March 26). 1817, April 11-12 In this night, Charles Messier passed away in his 87th year, in his home in Paris. Some Family Details 1744 The young Messier observes a great comet from Lorraine still. 1748, July 25 An annular solar eclipse is visible from France, and observed by the young Messier. 1751 The 21 year old Charles Messier goes to Paris and gets employed by Nicholas Delisle; gets advised to astronomical observing and recording. 1754 Regular appointment as Depot Clerk of the Navy. Early Interest in Astronomy The 6-Tail Comet C/1743 X1, 1744 Date first reported Dirk Klinkenberg Philippe Loys de Chéseaux 1743 Nov 1743 Dec 9 1743 Dec13 Observational interval Perihelion 1744 Mar 01 Perigee 1744 Feb 27 110 days 0.22AU 0.83 AU Magnitude -3 1744 Feb 20 Visible in daylight only 12 degrees from the Sun on February 27. Great Comets in History Donald K. Yeomans Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology Loraine, France 5:18 AM Metz-Nancy-Lorraine Lat: 48.98N, Lon: 6.25E July 25, 1748 Annular Eclipse Sunrise 5:19 AM Transits 12:40 PM 12:40 PM Starry Night Backyard v 3.1 1757 Messier begins his search for comet Halley. 1759 Messier independently discovers and observes Comet Halley (1759 I) from January 21 to June 3. 1761 Observation of a Venus transit 1782 November Observes Mercury transit. 1801 First asteroid (Ceres) discovered. Messier co-discovers Comet 1801 Pons (July 12). Discovers 44/50 comets 1758-1806 Comet Hunter and… Comet 1779 Bode Messier co-discovers January 19, 1779. 1781 At the beginning of this year, he cataloged M80-M100. Added Méchain's objects M101-M103 (without validatio). Readies his list final publication in Connaissance des Temps for 1784. 1782 April: The last Messier object, M107, was discovered by Pierre Méchain. August: William Herschel begins his deep-sky survey, stimulated by Messier's catalog. On September 7, he originally discovers his first deepsky object: The Saturn Nebula (NGC 7009). 1786 Herschel's first catalog of 1,000 "nebulous objects" published. Star Maps and Catalogue In the Connaissance des Temps for 1801 he lined out: ``What caused me to undertake the catalog was the nebula I discovered above the southern horn of Taurus on September 12, 1758, whilst observing the comet of that year. This nebula had such a resemblance to a comet in its form and brightness that I endeavored to find others, so that astronomers would no more confuse these same nebulae with comets just beginning to appear. I observed further with suitable refractors for the discovery of comets, and this is the purpose I had in mind in compiling the catalog. After me, the celebrated Herschel published a catalog of 2000 which he has observed. This unveiling the heavens, made with instruments of great aperture, does not help in the perusal of the sky for faint comets. Thus my object is different from his, and I need only nebulae visible in a telescope of two feet [focal length]. Since the publication of my catalog, I have observed still others: I will publish them in the future in the order of right ascension for the purpose of making them more easy to recognise and for those searching for comets to have less uncertainty.'' Types of Messier Object Nebulae Supernova Remnants Planetary Nebulae Diffuse Nebulae Clusters Open Clusters Globular Clusters Galaxies Spiral Galaxies Lenticular Galaxies Elliptical Galaxies Irregular Galaxies Other 11 Total 110 1 4 6 56 27 29 40 27 4 8 1 3 Refer to Starry Night Backyard v 3.1 Planetarium Software For Distribution of Messier Objects Messier Marathon Ordinary refractor Achromatic refractor Achromatic refractor Ordinary refractor Ordinary refractor Campani refractor Gregorian reflector Gregorian reflector Newtonian reflector Refractor Refractor 25 ft FL, 138x 10.5 ft FL, owned by M. de Courtanvaux, 120x 3.25 ft FL (Dollond), owned by Duc de Chaulnes, 120x 23 ft FL, 102x 30 ft FL, owned by M. Baudouin, 117x Owned by M. Maraldi, 64x 6 ft FL, owned by M. Lemonnier, 110x 30 ft FL, 6 inch aperture, 104x 4.5 ft FL, 60x 1 ft FL, 3-inch aperture, owned by M. de Saron, 44x 19 ft FL, of the Paris Observatory, 76x Messier's favorite instruments (below) Gregorian reflector 32 ft FL, 7.5-inch aperture, 104x (Sky & Telescope Owen, Gingerich) Achromatic refractors, 3.5 ft long, 3.5-inch (90 mm), 120x 7.5 to 8 inch aperture reflectors of speculum metal , they had little light gathering power (glass mirrors came in use only in the 1850s). Bailly has computed that the effective aperture of this instrument was equivalent to a 3.5-inch refractor. All of Messier's instruments could probably not compete with a modern 4-inch refractor (or unobstructed reflector, e.g., a Schiefspiegler) or 6-inch Newton reflector. Therefore, even moderately equipped amateurs of current days can easily hunt down all the objects he observed and cataloged. SELECTED EXAMPLES OF MESSIER OBJECTS GALAXIES A Family of Stars M31 Messier’s Sketch M31 The Andromeda Galaxy Spiral Milky Way’s Closest Galactic Neighbor > 2 million ly The Electronic Universe Project APOD July 24, 1995 M32 Dwarf Elliptical Galaxy Companion to M31 Elliptical galaxies are devoid of Star Forming Regions 1.1 Meter Hall Telescope, Lowell Observatory, Bill Keel (U. Alabama) APOD Jan 6, 1996 Visitors' Galaxy Gallery M61 NGC 4449 NGC 5068 NGC 5247 NGC 4725 NGC 5775/5774 Courtesy Adam Block (KPNO Visitor Program), NOAO, NSF APOD 4/27/01 1769 March 4: M42-M45 added to the catalog; first version finished. DIFFUSE NEBULA Stellar Nursery Oct 29,1995 3:25 UT Exposure: 60 min Field of View: 24o x 35o Emulsion: Kodak Ektachrome 400 Elite Optics: f=55mm 1/3.5 Place: Calar Alto Observer: T. Credner © Normal camera and lens (focal length 55mm) CONSTELLATION ORION M42 Orion Nebula Messier’s Sketch Wisps of the Orion Nebula John P. Gleason (Celestial Images) 3D Model of the Orion Nebula Hubble imagery is color corrected to remove the reddening effects of dust and gas between Earth and the nebula. A 2.5 minute fly-through animation required about 31,000 high-resolution images. The Orion Nebula, as seen from a virtual spacecraft looking under the Dark Bay The San Diego Supercomputer Center and The American Museum of Natural History Hayden Planetarium OPEN CLUSTERS Young Stars M45 Pleiades Zoom-in to the Pleiades M45 Animation Credit: STScI AVL Image Credits: Terence Dickinson (backyard view of the Pleiades with Jupiter, Saturn and Hyades); STScI Digitized Sky Survey; Chuck Vaughn (amateur astrophotographer -- 85-minute exposure taken with a 12.5" f/9 Ritchey-Chretien telescope); Hubble Heritage Team (NASA, STScI/AURA) GLOBULAR CLUSTER Very Old Stars 1764 His first own deep sky discovery of globular cluster M3, cataloged on May 3, probably causes him to undertake a systematical search for nebulous objects, leading to the observation and recording of the objects M3-M40, many of which were own discoveries, but several from old catalogs. Messier was made a member of the Royal Society of London. Globular Cluster M3 S. Kafka & K. Honeycutt (Indiana University), WIYN, NOAO, NSF APOD Sept 15, 2003 N-Body Dynamic Simulation Starlab: Collisional Stellar Dynamics Simulation of the 30 Doradus System with 12,144 stars Globular Cluster in Large Magellanic Cloud PLANETARY NEBULA Death of Average Stars M57 The Ring Nebula Sky Image Lab The end of a sun-like star's life was once thought to be simple: the star gracefully casting off a shell of glowing gas and thenM45 settling into a long retirement as a burned-out white dwarf. Hubble Sees Supersonic Exhaust from Nebula STScI-PRC1997-38 M2-9 "butterfly" or a bipolar planetary nebula Very close pair which orbit one another. Gravity of one star pulls weakly bound gas from the surface of the other and flings it into a thin, dense disk which surrounds both stars and extends well into space. Animation Duplicates the Butterfly SUPERNOVA REMNANT Death of Massive Stars 1758 Messier independently discovers M1, the Crab Nebula (August 28, measured September 12) Starry Night Backyard v3.1 M1 The Crab Nebula Starry Night Backyard v3.1 M1 Also called Taurus A FORS Team, 8.2-meter VLT, ESO APOD Mar 25, 2001 RADIO POETRY By John C. Mannone "M" How mysterious O' nebulous tendrilled shard Delirious bard, you who shout in measured yard Celestial chimes that echo colored rings As floral pines in scented breeze do swing Auroral rhymes are plucked on spectral strings The choral lines in vented glees do bring These dancing fireflies by magnet drawn Which swarm the cosmic skies Enchants the heart until the dawn Puts sparkles in the eyes. How beautiful this blue veil-ed and speckled cloud Laudable shroud, its twisted furrows, crimson plowed With lonely single stellar jewel adorned Is mingled with the oxen's pointed horn And scintill'ed shine amidst the gases torn Through wrinkled space this remnant light sojourns A broken heart of once a noble king Throbs still, though torn apart Begins its summer song to sing In solstice morning light. John C. Mannone Nov 7, 2003