Some of the easiest objects to find in the night sky are the Messier objects. Charles Messier catalogred 103 celestial objects. He searched for comets, so almost all Messier objects are fuzzy. None of them turned out to be comets. Seven more were added to the Messier catalogue to total 110 deep sky objects.
M50 is an open star cluster in the constellation Monoceros. It was discovered by G. D. Cassini in 1711 and independently discovered by Charles Messier in 1772. About 3,000 light-years away, it is a 'heart-shaped' grouping of stars.
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| photo courtesy of Wkipedia |
I have not viewed this cluster with my telescope, but I miss astronomizing and dream of the 2011 season. There are definitely more than 50 days until the observatory opens again. 90. 90 whole days!
What are you dreaming about?
