Every one of Charles Messier's 110 deep-sky objects, photographed with one astronomer's own equipment.

In the 1770s Charles Messier cataloged 110 faint smudges of light so that comet hunters would stop mistaking them for comets. Two and a half centuries later his list is the bucket list of amateur astronomy: the objects every observer works through, one clear night at a time.

This app is that catalog, brought together as a single collection of real astrophotographs. Every galaxy, nebula and star cluster here was captured and processed by Chanan Greenberg of Greenhawk Observatory over years of imaging. Nothing is an illustration, a rendering, or a borrowed archive image.

WHAT'S INSIDE

- All 110 Messier objects, each with a full-screen, pinch-to-zoom photograph
- Object type, constellation and distance for every entry
- A written description of each object and what makes it worth finding
- Charles Messier's own words from his original 18th-century catalog, set alongside the modern photograph
- A direct link to that object's page on NASA's Hubble site for further reading

TRACK YOUR OWN PROGRESS

Mark each object as observed or imaged as you work through the list, and watch your count climb toward 110.

FIND ANYTHING QUICKLY

Search by Messier number, with or without the M. Search by common name like Andromeda or Whirlpool, or by constellation. Filter the catalog by object type to see only galaxies, only globular clusters, only nebulae.

WORKS ANYWHERE

The entire catalog, all 110 photographs and all the text, is built into the app. It works at a dark site with no signal, on a plane, or anywhere else you happen to be. Nothing to download after installing.

FREE, AND QUIET ABOUT IT

No ads. No subscription. No account. No sign-in. The app asks nothing about you and collects nothing about you. Your observing progress never leaves your phone.

WHO IT'S FOR

Amateur astronomers working through the Messier list, telescope owners, Messier marathon veterans, astrophotographers, students, teachers, and anyone who has ever spent a cold night hunting a faint fuzzy.

All images by Chanan Greenberg, Greenhawk Observatory.
greenhawkobservatory.com