# Messier number

> English word · Noun

## Definitions
1. A catalogue number used to identify any one of more than one hundred galaxies, nebulae, and other deep-sky objects visible in the night sky; the designation formed by the surname Messier or letter M being prepended to the number, as in Messier 31 or M31 (the Andromeda Galaxy).

## Etymology
From Charles Messier (1730-1817), the French astronomer who first published his Catalogue of Nebulae and Star Clusters in 1774.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/messier-number