How many of the Messier objects have you seen ?

[Gas_mantle]

I'm returning to astronomy again after a break and just about to buy a new scope so my 'Messier count' is only about 15 but hopefully that will rise soon

How many have you managed ? Who's seen them all ?

[kerrylewis]

I've seen 100 of the 110 from my garden with average LP. But the last 10 look very tricky mainly because they ar low in the south which is not good for me. What sort of scope are you planning to get? Mine are as below 

Good luck 

Kerry 

[Paul73]

I'm still missing M83.

Must try harder....

Paul

PS. All except 6 & 7 were from my back garden. These two were from a dark campsite in mid

France with my 10x50's.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Got them all some years back.

[PorkyB]

I have photographed 55, so I'm half way, but I can't say that I have seen them all.  Some were so faint from central Birmingham they were invisible in the eyepiece.

[Qualia]

I honestly have no idea   

I've seen a few, but I guess I haven't seen them all. I really don't know Although I like to sketch, I don't keep a log of everything I observe and I don't sketch everything I see. As for making lists and plans and ticking them off, I'm not very good at that kind of thing

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

I could have spotted all with the C8, but about half were first spotted in either 10x50 or 15x70 bins. Some of the southern ones I spotted with the latter from South Africa or Australia. The two last ones were spotted using Olly's 20" Dob. The were M72 and M73.

[acey]

I've viewed them all - I saw the more southerly ones with an 80mm scope from southern Europe. There is an issue about what counts as "all": M102 is possibly non-existent or a re-observation of M101, or else may be identified with various galaxies (which I've also viewed). Messier's own list only went up to 103 - numbers 104 to 110 were added much later (but of course any Messier bagger will want to include them).

Things get even more complicated with the Herschel list (2,500 objects), where there are numerous duplicate, missing or non-existent objects. Observing these lists is a lesson in history as well as astronomy.

[kev100]

Hiya,

Currently on 47 Messiers (12 Caldwells). I have seen more, but I only started ticking them off, so to speak, earlier this year (when I got my 10 inch scope, in fact). I haven't counted sightings with my previous scope or with the binoculars. The figures also don't count those I wasn't totally sure about ...

You might find the checklists in one of my other posts useful (they're what I use) – http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/226398-checklists/

Kev.

[Macavity]

Keeping video (astronomy) evidence of mine! So about 60/90.

(I claim twenty are below various rooftops, trees, hedges...)

Trying to be a little more systematic, these days... List-making

has become something of an obsession lately. lol. Whatever,

I combine Messier & Caldwell with the (two add-on) O'Meara

books, and cut according to season (right ascension).

Looking at the Herschel 400 too... Some duplicates of above.

Plus I'm tempted "let myself off" 200-odd Leo / UMa galaxies!

As an aside (and noted by others too!) LISTS by one author or 

TYPE of astronomer (Visual versus Imaging etc.) are not always 

"best" choice... Full frame open clusters can look a tad samey?

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

I counted NGC 5866 as M102. There is a debate about whether that is correct but at least it got the count up to 110

[tarotrocola]

I keep my count in my Sky Safari app, I have almost half of messiers, but when I observe I don't focus on messiers although at same point I'd like to have them all.

[Mark at Beaufort]

As Kerry stated above some of the low Dec objects are difficult from the UK. I viewed a number from Spain in 2007 especially M6 and M7. It took me another 3 years to see M70 which I eventually saw from home with a crystal clear horizon.

I still hunt down Messier objects even though I have seen the complete list.

[dick_dangerous]

When I was a teenager I think I managed to find less than 10.

Now I'm all aged, I've managed to find 106 of them. Plenty of people on here have found the lot. Pretty much all of mine were located from Bushy Park in London, although the lower surface brightness ones have proven tricky - M33 and M101 are treats for whenever I'm out in the country with a 'scope.

So far, M79, M83, M102 (If you count it) and M74 have thwarted me, although I may have glimpsed the last one. My next trick will be to learn to sketch...

DD

[FenlandPaul]

I was wondering about this just the other day. Even though I had a concentrated 5 year period when I was younger and have recently come back to the hobby, I suspected I had a lot more to go than I'd banked.

Just spent a pleasurable half hour totting them up from my old observing books whilst catching up on The Archers. The answer is 30 out of the 110. Whilst a bit disappointing, what is exciting is how much MORE there is to see!!!

Paul

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[AndyWB]

Approaching 2 years at this game, and I've 107 Messiers. I'm missing M83, M68, and M104 (which is an odd one to have missed). I seem to go ages, and then bag a load in a 'big night out'.

I have been fairly assiduous about tracking them down, and 'seen' might overstate it. 'Found a faintly fuzzy patch in AV that turned out to be in the right place' might be more accurate. 

[Stu]

I've been observing for around 15 years, and have only seen around 55 or 60 of them.

I've never particularly been one for ticking things of a list (not that there is anything wrong with that), and often find myself visiting old favourites as I get a lot of pleasure from them.

I have a fair number of NGC's under my belt, but also spend time on double stars, and a fair amount on planets.

Lately I think I've done far more solar than astro, because I enjoy it and the opportunity has been there more often given the weather.

I shall get there with the Messiers, but am in no rush :-)

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[FenlandPaul]

Approaching 2 years at this game, and I've 107 Messiers. I'm missing M83, M68, and M104 (which is an odd one to have missed). I seem to go ages, and then bag a load in a 'big night out'.

That's some going! Wow, well done!

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[YKSE]

Soon will be my 2 years anniversary of looking through a telescope. 105 Messiers in 57deg north. M73 should be bagged in a couple of month, while M6, M7, M69 and M70 has to be seen in contintal Europe or more southwards places

[JamesF]

I've managed to find them all, and all from home, though even at a relatively southerly (for the UK) 51N and with little light pollution those more southerly ones can be pretty tough.

James

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

I find ticking things off lists encourages me to look for new stuff, rather than just revisiting old friends (which I do a lot too). I found the first 35 or so as a teenager, then stopped systematically looking for stuff for decades, until I joined SGL, and I started maintaining a log again. I found the remainder in about 2 years (along with assorted Caldwells). Trips abroad made the hunt a lot easier.

[DeepSkyBagger]

Hmm... tricky question. I have made observations of 92 of them. By 'making an observation', I mean drawing the object and providing a written description or in the case of open clusters, providing a written description without the drawing. I have 'seen' several others, usually when abroad armed only with binoculars.

My un-observed Messier objects are: 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 19, 20, 21, 23, 25, 54, 55, 62, 68, 69, 70, 80 and 83.

Of those, I have seen 4, 6, 7, 8 and 20.

You'll note that the most northerly of the un-observed objects is at -18 degrees declination. Anything below -20 is just about a no-hoper from my location.

[m.tweedy]

I got them all few years ago but it took a trip to Mauritius to finish them off as at 55 degrees north there are some never visible.

Different perspective viewing them from a 20 degrees south of the equator.

[Aronnax]

It's a grand total of 36 for me, so just under a third. That's in two years. Once I get the Virgo galaxies cracked, that will increase the total in a big jump!

Like some other people have commented, there are a few surprise omissions from my list, like M101. I'll have to correct that next night out, don't know how that one snuck by!

It's those southerly ones that will be most problematic for me, and will definitely need me to find a suitable site to observe.

[Paul73]

It's a grand total of 36 for me, so just under a third. That's in two years. Once I get the Virgo galaxies cracked, that will increase the total in a big jump!

Once you get into that area of sky, the M count really rockets. 5 bright ones in Leo, 15+ in Virgo/Coma!!! It's almost cheating.

Paul