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Messier Marathon Order

There is a recommended order in which to observe all of the Messier objects efficiently.  This listing has been posted numerous times on the net and is considered to be 'public domain.'

Two versions of the same file are on this disk for your convenience:

bulletMarathon Order (Excel fIle)
bulletMarathon Order (.pdf file)

 

Caution: Don't confuse observing "Order" with the Messier number "M #" !!

Images of each object are located here.

Observing Order For Messier Objects
Order Time M # NGC Con

R.A.

 Deg Sec

Mag

Type*

 Comments
1 M 77 1068 CET 2:43 0 1 8.8 SG
2 M 74 628 PSC 1:37 15 47 9.2 S
3 M 33 598 TRI 1:34 30 39 5.7 SG Pinwheel galaxy
4 M 31 224 AND 0:43 41 16 3.4 SG Andromeda galaxy
5 M 32 221 AND 0:43 40 52 8.2 EG Satellite galaxy of M31
6 M 110 205 AND 0:40 41 41 8.0 EG Satellite Galaxy of M31
7 M 52 7654 CAS 23:24 61 35 6.9 OC
8 M 103 581 CAS 1:33 60 42 7.4 OC
9 M 76 650 PER 1:42 51 34 11.5 PN The Little Dumbell, Cork or Butterfly nebula
10 M 34 1039 PER 2:42 42 47 5.2 OC
11 M 45 TAU 3:47 24 7 1.2 OC Pleiades, The Seven Sisters, Subaru
12 M 79 1904 LEP 5:24 -24 33 8.0 GC
13 M 42 1976 ORI 5:35 -5 27 4.0 DN Great Orion nebula
14 M 43 1982 ORI 5:35 -5 16 9.0 DN
15 M 78 2068 ORI 5:47 0 3 8.0 DN
16 M 1 1952 TAU 5:34 22 1 8.4 PN Crab Nebula. Supernova remnant from the year 1054.
17 M 35 2168 GEM 6:09 24 20 5.1 OC
18 M 37 2099 AUR 5:52 32 33 5.6 OC
19 M 36 1960 AUR 5:36 34 8 6.0 OC
20 M 38 1912 AUR 5:29 35 50 6.4 OC
21 M 41 2287 CMA 6:47 -20 44 4.5 OC
22 M 93 2447 PUP 7:45 -23 52 6.2 OC
23 M 47 2422 PUP 7:37 -14 30 4.4 OC
24 M 46 2437 PUP 7:42 -14 49 6.1 OC
25 M 50 2323 MON 7:03 -8 20 5.9 OC
26 M 48 2548 HYA 8:14 -5 48 5.8 OC
27 M 44 2632 CNC 8:40 19 59 3.1 OC Beehive Cluster, Praesepe,  358 stars approx. 500 ly distant
28 M 67 2682 CNC 8:50 11 49 6.9 OC
29 M 95 3351 LEO 10:44 11 42 9.7 SG
30 M 96 3368 LEO 10:47 11 49 9.2 SG
31 M 105 3379 LEO 10:48 12 35 9.3 EG
32 M 65 3623 LEO 11:19 13 5 9.3 SG Leo's Triplet
33 M 66 3627 LEO 11:20 12 59 9.0 SG Leo's Triplet
34 M 81 3031 UMA 9:56 69 4 6.8 SG Bode's Nebula (galaxy)
35 M 82 3034 UMA 9:56 69 41 8.4 IG Cigar Galaxy
36 M 97 3587 UMA 11:15 55 1 11.2 PN Owl Nebula
37 M 108 3556 UMA 11:12 55 40 10.0 SG
38 M 109 3992 UMA 11:58 53 23 9.8 SG
39 M 40 UMA 12:22 58 5 8.0 dbl False Nebula - two faint stars - Double Star WNC4
40 M 106 4258 CVN 12:19 47 18 8.3 SG
41 M 94 4736 CVN 12:51 41 7 8.1 SG
42 M 63 5055 CVN 13:16 42 2 8.6 SG Sunflower galaxy
43 M 51 5194 CVN 13:30 47 12 8.1 SG Whirlpool galaxy
44 M 101 5457 UMA 14:03 54 21 7.7 SG
45 M 102 5457 UMA 14:03 54 21 7.7 SG Duplicate of M101
46 M 53 5024 COM 13:13 18 10 7.7 GC
47 M 64 4826 COM 12:57 21 41 8.5 SG Black Eye galaxy
48 M 3 5272 CVN 13:42 28 23 6.4 GC 1000 stars approx. 40,000 ly distant. 500 variable stars.
49 M 98 4192 COM 12:14 14 54 10.1 SG
50 M 85 4382 COM 12:25 18 11 9.2 EG
51 M 99 4254 COM 12:19 14 25 9.8 SG Pin Wheel Nebula
52 M 100 4321 COM 12:23 15 49 9.4 SG
53 M 84 4374 VIR 12:25 12 53 9.3 EG Lenticular galaxy
54 M 86 4406 VIR 12:26 12 57 9.2 EG Lenticular galaxy
55 M 87 4486 VIR 12:31 12 24 8.6 EG Virgo A
56 M 89 4552 VIR 12:36 12 33 9.8 EG
57 M 90 4569 VIR 12:37 13 10 9.5 SG
58 M 88 4501 COM 12:32 14 25 9.5 SG
59 M 91 4548 COM 12:35 14 30 10.2 SG
60 M 58 4579 VIR 12:38 11 49 9.8 SG
61 M 59 4621 VIR 12:42 11 39 9.8 EG
62 M 60 4649 VIR 12:44 11 33 8.8 EG
63 M 49 4472 VIR 12:30 8 0 8.4 EG
64 M 61 4303 VIR 12:22 4 28 9.7 SG
65 M 104 4594 VIR 12:40 -11 37 8.3 SG Sombrero Galaxy
66 M 68 4590 HYA 12:40 -26 45 8.2 GC
67 M 83 5236 HYA 13:38 -29 52 7.6 SG Southern Pinwheel Galaxy
68 M 5 5904 SER 15:18 2 5 5.8 GC
69 M 13 6205 HER 16:42 36 28 5.9 GC Hercules Cluster. 100,000 stars
70 M 92 6341 HER 17:17 43 8 6.5 GC
71 M 57 6720 LYR 18:54 33 2 9.0 PN Ring Nebula.  Looks like smoke ring.
72 M 56 6779 LYR 19:17 30 11 8.2 GC
73 M 29 6913 CYG 20:23 38 32 6.6 OC
74 M 39 7092 CYG 21:32 48 26 4.6 OC
75 M 27 6853 VUL 20:00 22 43 8.1 PN Dumbbell Nebula
76 M 71 6838 SGE 19:54 18 47 8.3 GC
77 M 107 6171 OPH 16:33 -13 3 8.1 GC
78 M 10 6254 OPH 16:57 -4 6 6.6 GC
79 M 12 6218 OPH 16:47 -1 57 6.6 GC
80 M 14 6402 OPH 17:38 -3 15 7.6 GC
81 M 9 6333 OPH 17:19 -18 31 7.9 GC
82 M 4 6121 SCO 16:23 -26 32 5.9 GC
83 M 80 6093 SCO 16:17 -22 59 7.2 GC
84 M 19 6273 OPH 17:03 -26 16 7.2 GC
85 M 62 6266 OPH 17:01 -30 7 6.6 GC
86 M 6 6405 SCO 17:40 -32 13 4.2 OC Butterfly Cluster
87 M 7 6475 SCO 17:54 -34 49 3.3 OC Ptolemy's Cluster
88 M 11 6705 SCT 18:51 -6 16 5.8 OC Wild Duck Cluster
89 M 26 6694 SGR 18:45 -9 24 8.0 OC
90 M 16 6611 SER 18:19 -13 47 6.0 DN Eagle Nebula
91 M 17 6618 SGR 18:21 -16 11 7.0 DN Omega, Swan, Horseshoe, Lobster Nebula
92 M 18 6613 SGR 18:20 -17 8 6.9 OC
93 M 24 6603 SGR 18:16 -18 29 4.5 OC Milky Way star patch with open cluster NGC 6603
94 M 25 SGR 18:32 -19 15 4.6 OC
95 M 23 6494 SGR 17:57 -19 1 5.5 OC
96 M 21 6531 SGR 18:05 -22 30 5.9 OC
97 M 20 6514 SGR 18:02 -23 2 8.5 DN Trifid Nebula
98 M 8 6523 SGR 18:03 -24 23 5.8 DN Lagoon Nebula
99 M 28 6626 SGR 18:25 -24 52 6.9 GC
100 M 22 6656 SGR 18:36 -23 54 5.1 GC Excellent
101 M 69 6637 SGR 18:31 -32 21 7.7 GC
102 M 70 6681 SGR 18:43 -32 18 8.1 GC
103 M 54 6715 SGR 18:55 -30 29 7.7 GC
104 M 55 6809 SGR 19:40 -30 58 7.0 GC
105 M 75 6864 SGR 20:06 -21 55 8.6 GC
106 M 15 7078 PEG 21:30 12 10 6.4 GC
107 M 2 7089 AQR 21:33 0 -49 6.5 GC
108 M 72 6981 AQR 20:54 -12 32 9.4 GC
109 M 73 6994 AQR 20:58 -12 38 ast Asterism or open cluster
110 M 30 7099 CAP 21:40 -23 11 7.5 GC
* Object types:
PN Planetary nebula
DN Dark, Diffuse nebula
GC Globular cluster
OC Open cluster
SG Spiral galaxy
EG Elliptical galaxy
IR Irregular galaxy

 

11/2011

10/01/2017