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MyMessierTracker is your personal logbook for tracking your progress of capturing the Messier catalogue. It aims to help you track and journal your Messier-object observations while inspiring astrophotographers to continue gazing upward and capturing the wonders of the night sky.

What is the Messier Catalogue?

The Messier Catalogue is a list of 110 deep-sky objects (DSOs) compiled in the 18th century by French astronomer Charles Messier. Originally, Messier was a comet hunter inspired by reports of a sighting in 1744. But during his searches, he grew frustrated by fixed celestial objects - bright smudges and clusters that looked like comets at first glance but didn’t move. To avoid confusion, Messier began documenting these “false comets” and shared the list with fellow astronomers so they could avoid these objects and focus their efforts on true comet discoveries. What started as a tool to avoid distractions ended up becoming one of the most famous astronomical catalogues in history.

Today, the Messier Catalogue is celebrated not as a list of nuisances but as a collection of some of the most breathtaking wonders of the night sky - from star clusters and glowing nebulae to distant galaxies. For amateur stargazers and astrophotographers, the Messier objects remain a perfect starting point. Many are bright enough to be seen with nothing more than binoculars and a clear sky. However, with even a small telescope and a camera, you can reveal incredible detail, capturing images that highlight the beauty and mystery of the universe.

Sources: NASA: Charles Messier (1730–1817) Astronomer , Catalogue des Nebuleuses et des Amas D'etoiles

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