Charles Messier

Born on 26 June 1730 in Badonviller, France, Charles Messier was an astronomer who in 1771 compiled the first systematic catalog of nebulae and star clusters. Educated at home, Messier became interested in astronomy at a young age. When he was 21, he took a position with the astronomer of the French Navy. In 1759 Messier became chief astronomer of the Marine Observatory, and in 1771 he became the astronomer of the navy. It was while looking for comets in 1758 that Messier discovered his first nebula, the Crab Nebula, which he called Messier 1, or M1. (Messier considered any blurry celestial source a nebula, though in reality they included star-forming regions, galaxies, and supernova remnants.) He would go on to discover a total of 40 nebulae and 13 comets. By 1781 Messier had recorded 103 nebulae in his famous catalog. Messier was elected to the Royal Society of London in 1764 and the French Academy of Sciences in 1770. He died in 1817 at age 86. (Portrait by Nicolas Anseaume)

Date in History: 30 June 1730