Everything but a Comet

The French astronomer Charles Messier had a keen interest in comets. The problem was, that there were a lot of faint objects objects in the night sky that could look very comet-like.

So he decided to draw up a list of all the things that wern't a comet. In that way, he would be much better able to spot anything really new.

So in 1784 he drew up his first "Messier's list" – and that is how the various nebulae and galaxies in the night sky are catalogued with an M number.

Because of the type of telescope Messier used at the time of his comet discoveries, the Messier Catalgue is especially suitable for the beginning amateur astronomer or casual observer. As a result is has become one of the most popular list of obsjects in the night sky.

Maarten de Vries tells the story of Messier and his list, and picks out some particularly interesting Messier objects for you to look for in the night sky.

This event will take place on:

Monday 3 November, 7:30pm, The Old Inn, Gairloch
Friday 7 November, 7:30pm, The Community Hall, Applecoss

Click here to go to the main programme page