Charles Messier probably got first fascinated from
a comet in 1744, still in Badonviller, his Lorrainian hometown, as a 13-aged,
when he observed the great 6-tailed comet, which was subject to extensive
studies by De Chéseaux.
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. He specialized on hunting
for comets, and successfully discovered about 20
of them, 13 original discoveries and 7 independent co-discoveries (but it is
sometimes discussed where to put the limit; Jean-Paul Philbert tends to count
comet 1801 Pons and that of 1762 Klinkenberg as another original discovery, as
it occurred almost simultaneously with that of the original discoverers).
Of the 52 comets of 1758-1808, when Messier
actively searched for them, he observed and described a total of 46.
A translation of his personal notes is available.
Below follows a table of the 46 comets Messier observed professionally. The
entries in this table are linked to additional notes below, and those in turn
to Messier's descriptions in his notes:
The comet of 1758.
According to Alexandre Guy Pingré (1783), this was the 49th comet
with a calculated orbit.
Charles Messier's observations were published by Delisle in:
Mem. Acad., 1759, pp. 154-188
[Bibcode: 1765MmARS1759..154D].
Available online at
Gallica/BNF.
Included is the discovery announce of M1.
Felice Stoppa's account of this memoir and included map.
G.M. Caglieris' account of comet 1758 De la Nux and M1.
Reference: Cometography, Vol. 1, pp. 420-422.
3.
C/1760 A1 Great comet (1st 1760, 1759III). The 1st comet of 1760.
The 51st comet with a calculated orbit.
Charles Messier's memoir is in Mem. Acad., 1772, pp. 333-342 + Pl. III
[Bibcode: 1775MmARS1772..333M].
Available online at
Gallica/BNF.
The map of the path of this comet also contains the Messier Objects
M41, M42, and
M50.
Felice Stoppa's account of this memoir and included map.
G.M. Caglieris' account of the two comets of 1760.
Ref: Cometography Vol. 1, pp. 430-432.
4.
C/1760 B1 Messier (2nd 1760, 1759II Messier). The 2nd comet of 1760.
The 50th comet with a calculated orbit.
Charles Messier's memoir is in Mem. Acad., 1772, pp. 421-435 + Pl. IV
[Bibcode: 1775MmARS1772..421M].
Available online at
Gallica/BNF.
Felice Stoppa's account of this memoir and included map.
G.M. Caglieris' account of the two comets of 1760, who notes that Messier
has missed the discovery of considerably bright galaxy
NGC 2903 when observing this comet, which
closely passed the object in the night of February 11-12, 1760.
Ref: Cometography Vol. 1, pp. 432-434.
The 52nd comet with a calculated orbit.
Charles Messier's observations are published in:
Sav. etr., Vol. 5, 1768, pp. 175-176, map on p. 104
[Bibcode: 1768SavEt...5...81M].
Messier's map of Comet 1762 Klinkenberg.
Felice Stoppa's account of this memoir and map.
Ref: Cometography Vol. 1, pp. 435-436.
The 53rd comet with a calculated orbit.
Messier's memoir is in: Mem. Acad., 1774, pp. 23-41 + Pl. II
[Bibcode: 1778MmARS1774...23M].
The map includes M5.
It is also in a Report to a session of the Academy on January 7, 1764.
Messier's map of Comet 1763.
Felice Stoppa's account of this memoir and map.
Ref: Cometography Vol. 1, pp. 436-437.
8.
C/1766 Messier (C/1766 E1, 1766I Messier). 1st comet of 1766.
The 55th with a calculated orbit.
Messier's observations are published in:
Phil. Trans. LVI, 57 (1766)
[ADS: 1766RSPT...56...57M]
and in Mem. Acad., 1773, pp. 157-167 + Pl. V
[Bibcode: 1777MmARS1773..157M].
The map of the path of this comet, together with that of comets
1766 Helfenzrieder-Messier and 1783 Pigott, was once more published in
Mem. Acad., 1783, Pl. III (near p. 132, see
comet no. 21, 1783 Pigott).
Messier's map of comet 1766 Messier
(and 1766 Helfenzrieder, and 1783 Pigott).
Felice Stoppa's account of this memoir and map.
G.M. Caglieris' account of the two comets of 1766, where he notes that
Messier closely missed the discovery of M74
at that time which the comet passed within a degree in the night of
March 10-11, 1766.
Ref: Cometography Vol. 1, pp. 439-440.
The 57th with a calculated orbit.
Messier's memoir appeared in:
Mem. Acad., 1775, pp. 392-444 + Pl. VIII-X
[Bibcode: 1778MmARS1775..392M].
Messier's maps of the path of this comet also contain the "nebulae"
M10, M12,
M14, M42, and
M50.
This comet is also subject to his dubious publication of 1808,
Grande comète qui a paru à la naissance de Napoléon le
Grand.
Bessel obtained an orbital period of 2090 years for this comet.
Messier's map of comet
1769 Messier.
G.M. Caglieris' account of comet 1769, where he notes that while the newly
discovered cluster M50 was reported on the map, Messier did not report his
cluster M48, thus not giving us a further
clue on his position error for that object in his catalog.
Felice Stoppa's account of this memoir and maps.
Ref: Cometography Vol. 1, pp. 442-447.
The comet of 1770, the 58th with a calculated orbit.
Messier's memoir was published in:
Mem. Acad., 1776, pp. 597-651 + Pl. XX-XXI
[Bibcode: 1779MmARS1776..597M],
with an addition on Lexell's work in
Mem. Acad., 1777, pp. 345-359
[Bibcode: 1780MmARS1777..345M] (here p. 352ff).
Felice Stoppa's account of this memoir and maps.
This comet had become short-period of only 5.6 years by being captured
by Jupiter in 1767. Its next return occurred in 1776 but in daylight so
that it was not observed. In 1779, it was again perturbed by Jupiter and
has not returned since, as it probably was ejected from the inner solar
system.
Gary Kronk's Comet D/1770 L1 Lexell page.
Ref: Cometography Vol. 1, pp. 447-451.
The 59th with a calculated orbit.
Messier's observations are published in:
Phil. Trans. LXI, 104 (1771)
[ADS: 1771RSPT...61..104M],
and in Mem. Acad, 1771, pp. 423-429 + Pl. VII
[Bibcode: 1774MmARS1771..423M].
Available online at
Gallica/BNF.
This comet passed close by Mars, Messier noted the position of that planet.
Also marked in the map are the positions of star cluster
M35 and the "Nebula discovered in 1758,"
M1, as well as
M44.
Felice Stoppa's account of this memoir and map.
Ref: Cometography Vol. 1, pp. 451-453.
13.
C/1771 Messier (1771 G1, 1771). 2nd comet of 1771.
The 60th comet with a calculated orbit.
Messier's observations and memoir were published in:
Mem. Acad., 1777, 154-184 + pl. I and II
[Bibcode: 1780MmARS1777..154M].
Messier's first map includes M1,
M35, M37 and
the Pleiades, M45 as well as the Hyades.
His second map includes a dubious "cone of light" observed June 32, 1771.
Messier's maps of the second comet of 1771.
Felice Stoppa's account of this memoir and maps.
Orbit by Kreutz, AN 103 (1882), p. 336.
Ref: Cometography Vol. 1, pp. 453-455.
The 61st comet with a calculated orbit.
Messier's observations and memoir were published in:
Mem. Acad., 1777, 345-359 + pl. VI
[Bibcode: 1780MmARS1777..345M]
(together with a discovery announce of M50).
On the map, M50 as well as M42 are indicated.
Messier's maps of comet 1772.
Felice Stoppa's account of this memoir and map.
Ref: Cometography Vol. 1, pp. 455-456.
This comet was found again on its return in 1806 (as comet 3D/1805 V1,
1806I Pons). It was found to have a 6.62-year period (the 3rd periodic comet)
by Biela in 1826, split in two pieces in January 1846, one of them recovered
last in 1852 (last observation Sep 29). Later meteor showers have been
associeted with it. In 2001 it was noted (by S. Nakano) that Comet P/2001 J1
(NEAT) had a similar orbit, giving room for speculations that it might be
associated with 3D/Biela in some way.
(
IAUC 7635)
More on comet 3D/Biela;
Gary Kronk's Comet 3D/Biela page.
The 62nd comet with a calculated orbit.
Messier's observations and memoir published in:
Mem. Acad., 1774, pp. 271-329 + Pl. III
[Bibcode: 1778MmARS1774..271M].
This memoir also contains the discovery announce of
M51; its position is indicated in the map.
Felice Stoppa's account of this memoir and map.
Ref: Cometography Vol. 1, pp. 456-460.
The 63rd comet with a calculated orbit.
Messier's observations published in
Mem. Acad., 1775, pp. 445-476 + Pl. XI
[Bibcode: 1778MmARS1775..445M].
This memoir also contains discovery announce of open cluster
M52).
On p. 455, Messier reports that he could not find Flamsteed's star 3 Cas,
now dealt as a candidate for the Cas A supernova - if true, SN 1680.
The map indicates the position of M52; the comet came very close to the
cluster on September 7 (when Messier discovered it) and September 8.
It also includes "the back of the Reindeer" (a now obsolete constellation)
and the position of Tycho's supernova of 1752.
Messier's map of comet 1774 Montaigne.
Felice Stoppa's account of this memoir and map.
Ref: Cometography Vol. 1, pp. 461-463.
The 64th comet with a calculated orbit.
Messier's observaitons and memoir published in:
Mem. Acad., 1779, pp. 318-372 + Pl. XIV (chart)
[Bibcode: 1782MmARS1779..318M].
(Chart of its track or apparent path online).
This memoir contains the discovery announces of
M56, M57,
M58, M59,
M60, and M61
which all occurred during the observation of this comet, by Messier and other
astronomers (Darquier, Koehler, Oriani). In addition to these objects, the
chart also contains the "older" Messier "nebulae"
M3, M13,
M27, M29,
M49, and M53,
as well as the later discoveries
M63, M64,
M71, M84,
M85, M86,
M87, M88,
M89, M90,
M91, M92,
M94, M98,
M99, and M100,
so a total of as many as 28 Messier Objects.
The map also contains a prediscovery observation
of asteroid (2) Pallas, the first known record of an asteroid obeservation!
Messier's map of comet 1779 Bode.
G.M. Caglieris' account of the comet of 1779 and of the many object
in Messier's map.
Felice Stoppa's account of this memoir and map.
Ref: Cometography Vol. 1, pp. 463-466.
18.
C/1780 Messier (C/1780 U2, 1780I). The second comet of 1780.
The 65th comet with a calculated orbit.
Messier's observations and memoir published in:
Mem. Acad., 1780, pp. 515-541. Chart on pl. X
[Bibcode: 1784MmARS1780..515M].
On the map included with this memoir, also nebulae
M65 and M66
can be found.
Messier's map of comet 1780 Messier.
Felice Stoppa's account of this memoir and map.
Report from the Connoissance des Temps for 1784:
Comet observed in 1780.
Ref: Cometography Vol. 1, pp. 468-470.
19.
C/1781 Méchain 1 (C/1781 M1, 1781I). First comet of 1781.
The 66th with a calculated orbit. Messier's Memoir:
Mem. Acad., 1781, pp. 349-368
[Bibcode: 1784MmARS1781..349M]
(together with No. 20).
The map on p. 368 contains the pathes of both comets.
The map shows nebulae M81 and
M82 as well as
M97 (all marked "Néb. 1781") in
Ursa Major, as well as M65 and
M66 (marked "Néb. 1780"), and
M95 and M96
("Néb. 1781") in Leo.
Felice Stoppa's account of this memoir and map.
Ref: Cometography Vol. 1, pp. 470-471.
20.
C/1781 Méchain 2 (C/1781 T1, 1781II). Second comet of 1781.
The 67th with a calculated orbit. Messier's memoir:
Mem. Acad., 1781, pp. 349-368 (together with No. 19)
[Bibcode: 1784MmARS1781..349M].
Messier observed this comet well until the evening before his accident on
November 6, 1781.
The map on p. 368 contains the pathes of both comets.
The map shows nebulae M81 and
M82 as well as
M97 (all marked "Néb. 1781") in
Ursa Major, as well as M65 and
M66 (marked "Néb. 1780"), and
M95 and M96
("Néb. 1781") in Leo.
Felice Stoppa's account of this memoir and map.
Ref: Cometography Vol. 1, pp. 471-474.
21.
226P/Pigott-LINEAR-Kowalski (226P/1783 W1, former D/1783 W1 Pigott, 1783).
The 68th comet with a calculated orbit. Messier's memoir:
Mem. Acad., 1783, pp. 123-132 + Pl. III
[Bibcode: 1786MmARS1783..123M].
The map of this comet also contains the path of comet the two comets of 1766
(Messier and Helfenzrieder), and the "nebula"
M33. It misses to report also
M74 which is in the same field.
Messier's map of comet 1783 Pigott (and the two comets of 1766).
Felice Stoppa's account of this memoir and map.
Ref: Cometography Vol. 1, pp. 474-475.
Comet P/1783 Pigott was longly missed (D/1783 W1) and only recovered by the
Lincoln Near Earth Asteroid Research (LINEAR) in New Mexico on images taken
on January 5, 2003.
Gary Kronk's Comet 226P/Pigott-LINEAR-Kowalski page
The 69th with a calculated orbit. Messier's Memoir:
Mem. Acad., 1784, pp. 313-327 + Pl. VII
[Bibcode: 1787MmARS1784..313M].
In appendix, this memoir also mentions the presumed second comet of 1784
which had only be seen by the Chevallier d'Angos, and is presumably spurious.
Messier's map of the Great Comet of 1783.
Felice Stoppa's account of this memoir and map.
Ref: Cometography Vol. 1, pp. 475-478.
23.
C/1785 Messier-Méchain (C/1785 A1, 1785I). 1st comet of 1785.
The 71st comet with a calculated orbit. Messier's memoir:
Mem. Acad., 1785, pp. 639-645
[Bibcode: 1788MmARS1785..639M].
Felice Stoppa's account of this memoir and map.
Also reported in Journal de Savants, 1785.
Ref: Cometography Vol. 1, pp. 479-480.
24.
C/1785 Méchain (C/1785 E1, 1785II). 2nd comet of 1785.
The 72nd comet with a calculated orbit. Messier's memoir:
Mem. Acad., 1785, pp. 646-655
[Bibcode: 1788MmARS1785..646M], chart om p. 654.
Felice Stoppa's account of this memoir and map.
Ref: Cometography Vol. 1, pp. 480-481.
25.
2P/Encke (2P/1786 B1, 1786I Méchain). 1st comet of 1786.
No orbit could be calculated for this comet from this apparition due to
lack of observations.
Messier's memoir is in Mem. Acad., 1786, pp. 95-97
[Bibcode: 1788MmARS1786...95M].
Felice Stoppa's account of this memoir is included in his
page on the 2nd comet of 1786.
Ref: Cometography Vol. 1, pp. 481-482.
This comet was discovered again on November 7, 1795 (2P/1795 V1, 1795
Herschel). However, the 1795 apparition (Caroline Herschel's discovery) was
not observed by Charles Messier, because of years of trouble in France. It
was discovered a third time by Pons on October 5, 1805,
and again on November 27, 1818 by Pons. During that apparition, J.F. Encke
noted the identity of the comets of these four years, and predicted its
return in 1822 (which then was observed as predicted).
It is now the short-periodic comet with most observed apparitions.
More on comet 2P/Encke;
Gary Kronk's Comet 2P/Encke page
26.
C/1786 Herschel (C/1786 P1, 1786II). 2nd comet of 1786.
The 73rd comet with a calculated orbit.
Messier's memoir: Mem. Acad., 1786, pp. 98-120
[Bibcode: 1788MmARS1786...98M].
Felice Stoppa's account of this memoir and map.
Numerous nebulae are included in the map, including
M53, M64,
and in the Coma Virgo region,
M58, M59,
M60, M84,
M85, M86,
M87, M88,
M89, M90,
M91 (wrong position),
M98, M99,
M100.
Ref: Cometography Vol. 1, pp. 482-484.
The 74th comet woth a calculated orbit.
Messier's memoir: Mem. Acad., 1787, pp. 70-75 + Pl. I
[Bibcode: 1789MmARS1787...70M].
The map on Pl. I also shows the
Pleiades (M45), parts of the
Hyades, as well as planet Jupiter.
Felice Stoppa's account of this memoir and map.
Ref: Cometography Vol. 1, pp. 485-486.
28.
C/1788 Messier (C/1788 W1, 1788I). 1st comet of 1788.
The 75th comet with a calculated orbit.
Messier's memoir: Mem. Acad., 1789, pp. 665-685
[Bibcode: 1793MmARS1789..665M].
Ref: Cometography Vol. 1, pp. 486-487.
29.
35P/Herschel-Rigollet (35P/1788 Y1, 1788II Herschel). 2nd comet of 1788.
The 76th comet with a calcualted orbit.
Messier's memoir: Mem. Acad., 1789, pp. 681-684
[Bibcode: 1793MmARS1789..681M].
Ref: Cometography Vol. 1, pp. 487-489.
Gary Kronk's Comet 35P/Herschel-Rigollet page
30.
C/1790 Herschel 1 (C/1790 A1, 1790I). 1st comet of 1790.
The 77th comet with a calculated orbit.
Messier's memoir for this comet is found in Mem. Acad., 1790,
pp. 309-312 + Pl. III
[Bibcode: 1797MmARS1790..309M];
this plate also shows the "Nebula" M15.
Ref: Cometography Vol. 1, pp. 489-490.
31.
8P/Tuttle (8P/1790 A2, 1790II Méchain). 2nd comet of 1790.
The 78th comet with a calcualted orbit.
Messier's memoir for this comet is found in
Mem. Acad., 1790, pp. 313-319 + Pl. IV
[Bibcode: 1797MmARS1790..313M].
This map contains the unlabeled position of nebula
M77.
Ref: Cometography Vol. 1, pp. 490-491.
Gary Kronk's Comet 8P/Tuttle page
32.
C/1790 Herschel 2 (C/1790 H1, 1790III). 3rd comet of 1790.
The 79th with a calculated orbit.
Messier's memoir for this comet, together with the two other comets of the
same year 1790, is found in Mem. Acad., 1790, pp. 320-343 + Pl. V
[Bibcode: 1797MmARS1790..320M].
This chart shows the unlabeled positions of a bunch of Messier's nebulae:
M31, M32, M33, M74, M76, M34, M52, M81, M82, M97, M51, NGC 5195 (!), M63,
M94, M64, M65, M66, as well as Virgo Cluster galaxies M98, M99, M100, M85,
M84, M86, M87, M88, M89, M90, M91, M58, M59, M60 and M49, the Coma Berenice
star cluster, as well as the position of Tycho's supernova (SN 1572).
It does not contain the position of M95 and M96, nor M103 (which Messier had
presumably determined in 1781 after publication of the catalog), M108 and
M109 (or M109B) which Messier had seen in 1781, nor that of Méchain's
discoveries M105 and M106.
Ref: Cometography Vol. 1, pp. 491-493.
33.
C/1791 Herschel (C/1791 X1, 1792I). Comet of 1791.
Ref: Cometography Vol. 1, pp. 493-494.
34.
C/1793 Gregory (C/1793 A1, 1792II). 1st comet of 17.93
Ref: Cometography Vol. 1, pp. 494-496.
35.
C/1793 Perny (C/1793 S1, 1793II). 3rd comet of 1793.
Ref: Cometography Vol. 1, pp. 496-497.
36.
C/1793 Messier (C/1793 S2, 1793I). 4th comet of 1793.
42.
C/1801 Pons or Pons-Messier-Méchain-Bouvard (C/1801 N1, 1801).
Messier's observations and memoir can be found in:
Connaissance des Tems pour l'an XIII (1804-1805, published 1803),
pp. 484-485
[Bibcode: 1803CdT..an13..484M],
as well as in Rec. Inst., Vol. 6, 1806, p. 62
[Bibcode: 1806RecIn...6...62M].
G.M. Caglieris' account of comet 1801.
Ref: Cometography Vol. 2, pp. 1-2.
Messier's observations and memoir can be found in:
Connaissance des Tems pour l'an XIV (1805-1806, published 1804),
pp. 236-237
[Bibcode: 1804CdT..an14..236M].
Ref: Cometography Vol. 2, pp. 2-3.
Messier's observations were published in the Connaissance des Tems
pour l'an XV (1806-1807, published 1805), page 374
[Bibcode: 1805CdT..an15..374M].
Ref: Cometography Vol. 2, pp. 3-4.
45.
2P/Encke (2P/1805 U1, 1805 Pons-Huth-Bouvard). 1st comet of 1805.
Messier's observation unpublished, reported in his
Notes (No. 46).
Probably seen by many in Southern Hemisphere weeks earlier, credited to
C. Giovanni (Sicily, Sep 9), observed by S. Pease (USA, Sep 21 morning),
and rediscovered by Pons (Marseille, Sep 21 evening).
Ref: Cometography Vol. 2, pp. 10-15.
Alexandre Guy Pingré, 1783.
Comètographie ou Traité Historique et Théoretique des
Comètes. Tome Premier.
[Cometography or Historical and Theoretical Treatise of the Comets.
Volume One.]
Royal Printing Office, Paris, 1783. In French.
In particular, this reference gives information on orbits and their
calculation.
Gary W. Kronk, 1999.
Cometography. A Catalog of Comets. Volume 1: Ancient - 1799.
Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK.
Gary W. Kronk, 2003.
Cometography. A Catalog of Comets. Volume 2: 1800 - 1899.
Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK.
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