Messier

See also: messier

English

Nicolas Anseaume's portrait of Charles Messier (1771)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmɛs.i.eɪ/

Proper noun

Messier (countable and uncountable, plural Messiers)

1. A surname from French [in turn originating as an occupation], famously held by:
   2. Charles Messier (1730-1817), a French astronomer who between 1774 and 1781 published his Catalogue of Nebulae and Star Clusters, a catalogue of deep-sky objects.
      2. (astronomy) As a designation, the numbered objects in Messier's catalog are prepended with his surname or the letter M.

         Messier 31 (M31) is the Andromeda Galaxy; Messier 42 (M42) is the Orion Nebula

See also

• Messier number

Anagrams

• Meisers, Siemers, misères, remises

French

Etymology

Inherited from Old French messier (“harvest warden”), from meis (“harvest”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mɛ.sje/ ~ /me.sje/

• Audio:

  (file)

Proper noun

Messier ?

1. a surname originating as an occupation
2. (astronomy) Messier (object)