Messier number

noun

A catalogue number used to identify any one of more than one hundred galaxies, nebulae, and other deep-sky objects visible in the night sky; the designation formed by the surname Messier or letter M being prepended to the number, as in Messier 31 or M31 (the Andromeda Galaxy).

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Meanings

nounMessier number (plural Messier numbers)

plural Messier numbers

  1. astronomyA catalogue number used to identify any one of more than one hundred galaxies, nebulae, and other deep-sky objects visible in the night sky; the designation formed by the surname Messier or letter M being prepended to the number, as in Messier 31 or M31 (the Andromeda Galaxy).

Origin

From Charles Messier (1730-1817), the French astronomer who first published his Catalogue of Nebulae and Star Clusters in 1774.

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Cite this entry
APA

Messier number. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Messier%20number

MLA

“Messier number.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Messier%20number. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Messier number,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Messier%20number.

Source: Messier number on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.