Messier
Deep-sky catalog creator
Messier is the comparative form of messy—more disordered, dirtier, or more complicated: The kitchen got messier as the party went on.
Situations grow messier when they become more complicated or emotionally fraught: The divorce proceedings turned messier than anyone expected. (Capitalized Messier refers to the astronomer Charles Messier or his catalog of celestial objects.)
Faint celestial body, non-stellar
- catalog numberUnique item identifier in listings
- designationFormal name or title
- amateur astronomyRecreational celestial observation
- telescopeInstrument magnifying faraway objects
binoculars · night sky · stargazing · astrophotography · observatory · celestial · star chart · marathon
Star cluster in Taurus
- BeehiveUtah's official nickname
- M2Broad money supply measure
- M4U.S. military rifle
- open clusterGravitationally loose stellar group
Nearest spiral galaxy
- WhirlpoolAmerican appliance corporation
- spiralCurve winding around center
- ellipticalOval-shaped or indirect
Emission cloud near Earth
- Crab NebulaSupernova remnant, pincer-shaped
- Pillars of CreationNebula's star-forming columns
- M16U.S. military rifle
- emissionDischarged substance or act
One who discovers icy bodies
- 18th centuryYears 1701-1800
- ParisFrance's chief city
- discoveryAct of finding something
- tailRear animal appendage
coma · nucleus · orbit · sungrazer · apparition · Royal Academy
deep sky object
Faint celestial body, non-stellar
- catalog numberUnique item identifier in listings
- designationFormal name or title
- amateur astronomyRecreational celestial observation
telescope · binoculars · night sky · stargazing · astrophotography · observatory · celestial · star chart · marathon
Pleiades
Star cluster in Taurus
Andromeda
Nearest spiral galaxy
- WhirlpoolAmerican appliance corporation
- spiralCurve winding around center
- ellipticalOval-shaped or indirect
Orion Nebula
Emission cloud near Earth
- Crab NebulaSupernova remnant, pincer-shaped
- Pillars of CreationNebula's star-forming columns
- M16U.S. military rifle
comet hunter
One who discovers icy bodies
- 18th centuryYears 1701-1800
- ParisFrance's chief city
- discoveryAct of finding something
tail · coma · nucleus · orbit · sungrazer · apparition · Royal Academy
- messing upFailing through carelessness
- messing aroundIdle, aimless activity
- messing withPlayfully interfering or teasing
- messing aboutIdle, aimless activity
- Debra Messing