Download What are Messier Objects? - Bowling Green State University

Tiffany Alago
March 1, 2009
Prof. Layden
ASTR 309
Introduction
Throughout the night as the earth rotates our sky
changes, and so does the sky where we stand.
The information that continues is the results of a
Messier marathon. How many Messier objects can you
see in one night?
The answer is you never know for sure. If you ask
yourself that question everyday, you would most likely
get a different answer each day.
Purpose
The purpose of this project is to give a brief description
of Messier objects:
 What are they?
 What are some different types?
 To show what do some look like.
 What’s important or interesting about them?
Goals
Part of the work of this project was to take the best quality
pictures possible. In order to achieve this goal one had
to put in practice and improve the skills learned in
class, which includes:
 Planning your night – what are you observing and
when are you going to observe it?
 Checking and predicting the weather.
 Proper use of the CCD camera.
 Proper use of the 0.5m telescope.
Messier Objects
 Charles Messier is the first astronomer to come up with a
systematic catalogue of deep sky objects.
 In the Messier catalog there are currently 110 deep sky
objects.
 Some of the types of deep sky objects include:
Galaxies – spiral, irregular, elliptical
Nebulae – planetary, diffuse
Globular clusters
Open clusters
Messier Marathon
M 35
 Open cluster
 Right Ascension: 06h08.9m
 Declination: +24°20m
 Visual Brightness: 5.3 mag
 Apparent Dimension: 28.0
arc min
 Exposure time of image: 12 s
M 35
 This open cluster is located
in Gemini.
 Includes several hundreds
of stars. Last count was of
513 stars
 Discovered by Philippe
Loys de Cheseaux.
 Was catagolized in 1745 or
1746.
 At a distance of 2,800 light
years
 Of intermediate age.
 Includes some post-main
sequence stars: with some
red and orange giants of
spectral type G to K
M42
 Star forming Nebulae
 Right Ascension: 05h35.4m
 Declination: -05°27m
 Visual Brightness: 4.0 mag
 Apparent Dimension: 85 x
60 arc min
 Exposure time of image: 12s
M42
 Is an emission and reflection nebula, with an open
cluster in Orion.
 Also known as the Orion Nebula.
 Is one of the brightest starforming nebulae and one of
the brightest diffusion nebulae in the sky
 It is a big object, considered to cover four times the
area of the full moon.
 Located 1,600 light years away.
 Is a very turbulent cloud of gas and dust, hence it’s
gaseous nature.
M42
 This nebula is said to be located in the sword of Orion.
 Under good night sky conditions it can be clearly
visible to the naked eye.
 Is considered one of the brightest of all deep sky
objects and is one of the most studied.
M44
 Open Cluster
 Right Ascension: 08h40.1m
 Declination: +19°59m
 Visual Brightness: 3.7 mag
 Apparent Dimension: 95.0
arc min
 Exposure time of image: 4s
M44
 Also known as Praesepe or the Beehive cluster.
 Includes about 200 stars.
 Is about 577 light years away.
 Has an estimated age of about 730 million years old.
 Contains some red giants, white dwarfs and one blue
star.
M44
Mythology behind M44 is that “Greeks and Romans
saw this "nebula" as the manger (Greek: Phatne)
associated with two asses who eat from it; Asellus
Borealis, the Northern Ass and Asellus Australis, the
Southern Ass. Erathosthenes reported that these were
the asses on which the gods Dionysos and Silenus rode
into the battle against the Titans.
M44
The titans were frightened by the animals' braying so
that the gods won. As a reward, the asses were put in
sky together with Phatne.” (Frommert and Krongberg)
M53
 Globular Cluster
 Right Ascension: 13h12.9m
 Declination: +18°10m
 Visual Brightness: 7.3 mag
 Apparent Dimension: 13.0
arc min
 Exposure time of image: 20s
M53
 Discovered by John Elert
Bode in 1775.
 Is a globular cluster (NGC
5024) in Coma Berenice.
 Is 60,000 light years away
from the galactic center.
 Is below average of
“metallicity” compared to
other globular clusters.
 Has stars within the
horizontal branch and
some red giants.
 Contains 47 known RR
Lyrae variable stars!!!
M64
 Spiral Galaxy
 Right Ascension: 12h56.7m
 Declination: +21°41m
 Visual Brightness: 8.5 mag
 Apparent Dimension: 9.3x54
arc min
 Exposure time of image: 45s
M64
 Also known as the Blackeye galaxy or the Sleeping Beauty
Galaxy.
 Was discovered by Eward Pigott in 1779.
 A characteristic feature of this galaxy is the dark dust
pattern that surrounds it.
 The distance of has not been very well determined.
 Includes cepheid variable stars!!!
M65
 Spiral Galaxy
 Right Ascension: 11h18.9m
 Declination: +13°05m
 Visual Brightness: 9.3 mag
 Apparent Dimension: 8x1.5
arc min
 Exposure time of image: 30s
M65
 Discovered in 1980 by
Charles Messier.
 Also is NCG 3623 within
Leo.
 Forms part of the Leo
Triplett (M66 and NGC
3628).
 Has a luminous disk
populated by old stars.
 Located 35 million light
years away.
M66
 Spiral Galaxy
 Right Ascension: 11h20.2m
 Declination: +12°59m
 Visual Brightness: 8.9 mag
 Apparent Dimension: 8x2.5
arc min
 Exposure time of image: 20s
M66
 Discovered by Charles Messier in 1780.
 Is NGC 3627 in Leo and also forms part of the Leo Triplett.
 It’s spiral arms are deformed as result of encounters with
other members of the Leo Triplett.
 Is 35 million light years away.
M 67
 Open Cluster
 Right Ascension: 08h50.4m
 Declination: +11°49m
 Visual Brightness: 6.1 mag
 Apparent Dimension: 30 arc
min
 Exposure time of image: 20s
M67
 Discovered by Johann
 Has a red giant branch
Gottfried Koehler
approximately in 1779.
 The oldest of Messier’s
open clusters.
 Close to 3.2 billion years
old.
 Is NGC 2682 within
Cancer.
 Expected death… in
another 5 billion years!!
and a main sequence
that end in hot blue.
 Has counted till now 500
stars, 200 of them being
white dwarfs!
 Is the perfect object to
observe when studying
sun-like type stars.
M81
 Spiral Galaxy
 Right Ascension: 09h55.6m
 Declination: +69°04m
 Visual Brightness: 6.9 mag
 Apparent Dimension: 21x10
arc min
 Exposure time of image: 65s
M81
 Also known as the Bode’s Galaxy. NGC 3031 in Ursa
Major.
 Discovered by Johann Elert Bode in 1774.
 Has a distance of 11 million light years away.
 On March 28, 1993 a type II supernova occurred in M81,
which was discovered by the Spanish amateur
astronomer Francisco Garcia Diaz!!!
 Has a population of 210(+/- 30) globular clusters!!
 Is the cause for M82 initial deformation from an
encounter millions of years ago.
M82
 Irregular Galaxy
 Right Ascension: 09h55.8m
 Declination: +69°41m
 Visual Brightness: 8.4 mag
 Apparent Dimension: 9x4
arc min
 Exposure time of image: 18s
M82
 As M81, it was also
 Only 12 million light years
discovered by Johann Elert away.
Bode in 1774.
 Has one true and one false
 NGC 3034 in Ursa Major.
supernova reported:
 Famous for it’s heavy
False: (1986D) - a
starforming activity.
slightly variable 2micrometer source had
 Prototype member of the
fooled the discoverers.
class of Star Bursting
Galaxies!!!
True: (2004am) –
discovered at the Lick
Observatory.
M94
 Spiral Galaxy
 Right Ascension: 12h50.9m
 Declination: +41°07m
 Visual Brightness: 8.2 mag
 Apparent Dimension: 7x3
arc min
 Exposure time of image: 40s
M94
 NGC 4736 in Canes Venatici.
 Discovered by Pierre Méchain in 1781.
 Has an extremely bright inner region surrounded by a ring of
active starforming regions.
 The distance has yet to be fully determined.
 Relatively young/adult cluster.
 One of the relatively rare galaxies in which two “waves" of
stellar formation can be observed.
M95
 Spiral Galaxy
 Right Ascension: 10h44.0m
 Declination: +11°42m
 Visual Brightness: 9.7 mag
 Apparent Dimension: 4.4x3.3
arc min
 Exposure time of image: 60s
M95
 Discovered by Pierre
Méchain in 1781.
 Is 41 million light years
away.
 Is NGC 3351 within Leo.
 Has cepheid variables!!!
 Is a barred spiral galaxy.
 Was one of the galaxies in
 One of the faintest
Messier objects.
the key project of the
Hubble Space Telescope for
the determination of the
Hubble constant.
M98
 Spiral Galaxy
 Right Ascension: 12h13.8m
 Declination: +14°54m
 Visual Brightness: 10.1 mag
 Apparent Dimension:
9.5x3.2 arc min
 Exposure time of image: 25s
 Look close, zoom in… it’s
there 
M98
 Is NGC 4192 in Coma Berenices.
 Discovered by Pierre Méchain in 1781.
 It has been argued to be a Virgo Cluster member.
 “Shows a chaotic, diffuse disk, containing some blue
regions of newly formed stars, and a huge quantity of
occulting dust.” (Frommert and Kronberg)
 Also one of the faintest Messier objects.
M105
 Elliptical Galaxy
 Right Ascension: 10h47.8m
 Declination: +12°35m
 Visual Brightness: 9.3 mag
 Apparent Dimension: 2.0 arc
min
 Exposure time of image: 75s
M105
 Discovered by Pierre Méchain in 1781.
 Is NGC 3379 in Leo.
 Only 38 million light years away.
 Contains a massive central object of about 50 million
solar masses.
M106
 Spiral Galaxy
 Right Ascension: 12h19.0m
 Declination: +47°18m
 Visual Brightness: 8.4 mag
 Apparent Dimension: 19x8
arc min
 Exposure time of image: 25s
M106
 NGC 4258 in Canes
Venatici.
 Discovered by Pierre
 The arms have bright
blue star clusters that
must have been recently
formed.
Méchain in 1781.
 The active center also
 Has a distance of 21 to 25
emits jets!!!
million light years.
 A supernova, 1981K,
 It resembles somewhat the
Andromeda galaxy M31.
occurred in M106 in
August 1981.
M108
 Spiral Galaxy
 Right Ascension: 11h11.5m
 Declination: +55°40m
 Visual Brightness: 10.0 mag
 Apparent Dimension: 8 x 1
arc min
 Exposure time of image: 90s
M108
 NGC 3556 within Ursa Major.
 Discovered by Pierre Méchain in 1781.
 Appears to have no bulge and no pronounced core at all.
 Approximately 45 million light years away.
 Has a a detail-rich mottled disk with heavy obscuration
along the major axis.
 A type II supernova 1969B occurred in M108 on Jan 23,
1969.
Sky conditions the night of the
Messier Marathon.
 At 11pm sky was clear.
 Not very dark, some light pollution.
 The moon was in a smaller phase (meaning not full
and not too bright).
 Around 3am we started getting some patches of
clouds.
 At 4:10pm the sky was fully clouded and seemed less
darker.
Conclusion
 All of these images where taken at the Bowling Green State
University Observatory with the 0.5 meter telescope.
 To get a quality image while taking pictures with a CCD
camera a lot of things need to be considered:
Visual magnitude of object
Lof the object in the sky
Exposure time
Highest count possible with CCD camera
Filters being used.
 The goal is to take the best picture possible when using the
CCD camera and the factors mentioned before affect the
focus and saturation of the image. It take practice, comfort
and patience to achieve this goal.
Works Cited
Frommert, Hartmut, and Christine Kronberg. “The Messier Catalog.”
The Munich Astro Archive. 30 Aug. 2007. SEDS. 28 Feb. 2009 <
http://www.maa.clell.de>
However I used a more specific link created from this website. One for
each Messier object, which are the following:
http://www.maa.clell.de/Messier/E/m035.html
http://www.maa.clell.de/Messier/E/m042.html
http://www.maa.clell.de/Messier/E/m044.html
http://www.maa.clell.de/Messier/E/m053.html
http://www.maa.clell.de/Messier/E/m064.html
http://www.maa.clell.de/Messier/E/m065.html
Works Cited
http://www.maa.clell.de/Messier/E/m066.html
http://www.maa.clell.de/Messier/E/m067.html
http://www.maa.clell.de/Messier/E/m081.html
http://www.maa.clell.de/Messier/E/m082.html
http://www.maa.clell.de/Messier/E/m094.html
http://www.maa.clell.de/Messier/E/m095.html
http://www.maa.clell.de/Messier/E/m098.html
http://www.maa.clell.de/Messier/E/m105.html
http://www.maa.clell.de/Messier/E/m106.html
http://www.maa.clell.de/Messier/E/m108.html