Messier Marathon Observing Order

(Microsoft Excel version or PDF version for formated printing)

Order	Time	M #	NGC	Con	R.A.	Dec Deg Min		Mag	Type*	Comments
1		M 77	1068	CET	2:43	0	1	8.8	SG
2		M 74	628	PSC	1:37	15	47	9.2	S
3		M 33	598	TRI	1:34	30	39	5.7	SG	Pinwheel galaxy
4		M 31	224	AND	0:43	41	16	3.4	SG	Andromeda galaxy
5		M 32	221	AND	0:43	40	52	8.2	EG	Satellite Galaxy of M31
6		M 110	205	AND	0:40	41	41	8.0	EG	Satellite Galaxy of M31
7		M 52	7654	CAS	23:24	61	35	6.9	OC
8		M 103	581	CAS	1:33	60	42	7.4	OC
9		M 76	650	PER	1:42	51	34	11.5	PN	The Little Dumbell
11		M 34	1039	PER	2:42	42	47	5.2	OC
11		M 45		TAU	3:47	24	7	1.2	OC	Pleiades, The Seven Sisters, Subaru
12		M 79	1904	LEP	5:24	-24	33	8.0	GC
13		M 42	1976	ORI	5:35	-5	27	4.0	DN	Great Orion nebula
14		M 43	1982	ORI	5:35	-5	16	9.0	DN
15		M 78	2068	ORI	5:47	0	3	8.0	DN
16		M 1	1952	TAU	5:34	22	1	8.4	PN	Crab nebula.
17		M 35	2168	GEM	6:09	24	20	5.1	OC
18		M 37	2099	AUR	5:52	32	33	5.6	OC
19		M 36	1960	AUR	5:36	34	8	6.0	OC
20		M 38	1912	AUR	5:29	35	50	6.4	OC
21		M 41	2287	CMA	6:47	-20	44	4.5	OC
22		M 93	2447	PUP	7:45	-23	52	6.2	OC
23		M 47	2422	PUP	7:37	-14	30	4.4	OC
24		M 46	2437	PUP	7:42	-14	49	6.1	OC
25		M 50	2323	MON	7:03	-8	20	5.9	OC
26		M 48	2548	HYA	8:14	-5	48	5.8	OC
27		M 44	2632	CNC	8:40	19	59	3.1	OC	Beehive Cluster.
28		M 67	2682	CNC	8:50	11	49	6.9	OC
29		M 95	3351	LEO	10:44	11	42	9.7	SG
30		M 96	3368	LEO	10:47	11	49	9.2	SG
31		M 105	3379	LEO	10:48	12	35	9.3	EG
32		M 65	3623	LEO	11:19	13	5	9.3	SG	Leo's triplet
33		M 66	3627	LEO	11:20	12	59	9.0	SG	Leo's triplet
34		M 81	3031	UMA	9:56	69	4	6.8	SG	Bode's nebula (galaxy)
35		M 82	3034	UMA	9:56	69	41	8.4	IG	Cigar Galaxy
36		M 97	3587	UMA	11:15	55	1	11.2	PN	Owl nebula
37		M 108	3556	UMA	11:12	55	40	10.0	SG
38		M 109	3992	UMA	11:58	53	23	9.8	SG
39		M 40		UMA	12:22	58	5	8.0	dbl	False nebula - two faint stars
40		M 106	4258	CVN	12:19	47	18	8.3	SG
41		M 94	4736	CVN	12:51	41	7	8.1	SG
42		M 63	5055	CVN	13:16	42	2	8.6	SG	Sunflower galaxy
43		M 51	5194	CVN	13:30	47	12	8.1	SG	Whirlpool galaxy
44		M 101	5457	UMA	14:03	54	21	7.7	SG
45		M 102	5457	UMA	14:03	54	21	7.7	SG	Duplicate of M101
46		M 53	5024	COM	13:13	18	10	7.7	GC
47		M 64	4826	COM	12:57	21	41	8.5	SG	Black eye galaxy
48		M 3	5272	CVN	13:42	28	23	6.4	GC	1000 stars approx.
49		M 98	4192	COM	12:14	14	54	10.1	SG
50		M 85	4382	COM	12:25	18	11	9.2	EG
50		M 99	4254	COM	12:19	14	25	9.8	SG	Pin Wheel nebula
51		M 100	4321	COM	12:23	15	49	9.4	SG
53		M 84	4374	VIR	12:25	12	53	9.3	EG	Lenticular galaxy
54		M 86	4406	VIR	12:26	12	57	9.2	EG	Lenticular galaxy
55		M 87	4486	VIR	12:31	12	24	8.6	EG	Virgo A
56		M 89	4552	VIR	12:36	12	33	9.8	EG
57		M 90	4569	VIR	12:37	13	10	9.5	SG
58		M 88	4501	COM	12:32	14	25	9.5	SG
59		M 91	4548	COM	12:35	14	30	10.2	SG
60		M 58	4579	VIR	12:38	11	49	9.8	SG
61		M 59	4621	VIR	12:42	11	39	9.8	EG
62		M 60	4649	VIR	12:44	11	33	8.8	EG
63		M 49	4472	VIR	12:30	8	0	8.4	EG
64		M 61	4303	VIR	12:22	4	28	9.7	SG
65		M 104	4594	VIR	12:40	-11	37	8.3	SG	Sombrero galaxy
66		M 68	4590	HYA	12:40	-26	45	8.2	GC
67		M 83	5236	HYA	13:38	-29	52	7.6	SG	Southern Pinwheel Galaxy
68		M 5	5904	SER	15:18	2	5	5.8	GC
69		M 13	6205	HER	16:42	36	28	5.9	GC	Hercules C+J70luster. 100,000 stars
70		M 92	6341	HER	17:17	43	8	6.5	GC
71		M 57	6720	LYR	18:54	33	2	9.0	PN	Ring nebula. Looks like smoke ring.
72		M 56	6779	LYR	19:17	30	11	8.2	GC
73		M 29	6913	CYG	20:23	38	32	6.6	OC
74		M 39	7092	CYG	21:32	48	26	4.6	OC
75		M 27	6853	VUL	20:00	22	43	8.1	PN	Dumbbell nebula
76		M 71	6838	SGE	19:54	18	47	8.3	GC
77		M 107	6171	OPH	16:33	-13	3	8.1	GC
78		M 10	6254	OPH	16:57	-4	6	6.6	GC
79		M 12	6218	OPH	16:47	-1	57	6.6	GC
80		M 14	6402	OPH	17:38	-3	15	7.6	GC
81		M 9	6333	OPH	17:19	-18	31	7.9	GC
82		M 4	6121	SCO	16:23	-26	32	5.9	GC
83		M 80	6093	SCO	16:17	-22	59	7.2	GC
84		M 19	6273	OPH	17:03	-26	16	7.2	GC
85		M 62	6266	OPH	17:01	-30	7	6.6	GC
86		M 6	6405	SCO	17:40	-32	13	4.2	OC	Butterfly cluster
87		M 7	6475	SCO	17:54	-34	49	3.3	OC	Ptolemy's Cluster
88		M 11	6705	SCT	18:51	-6	16	5.8	OC	Wild Duck cluster
89		M 26	6694	SGR	18:45	-9	24	8.0	OC
90		M 16	6611	SER	18:19	-13	47	6.0	DN	Eagle nebula
91		M 17	6618	SGR	18:21	-16	11	7.0	DN	Omega, Swan, Horseshoe, Lobster
92		M 18	6613	SGR	18:20	-17	8	6.9	OC
93		M 24	6603	SGR	18:16	-18	29	4.5	OC	Milky Way star patch with open cluster
94		M 25		SGR	18:32	-19	15	4.6	OC
95		M 23	6494	SGR	17:57	-19	1	5.5	OC
96		M 21	6531	SGR	18:05	-22	30	5.9	OC
97		M 20	6514	SGR	18:02	-23	2	8.5	DN	Trifid nebula
98		M 8	6523	SGR	18:03	-24	23	5.8	DN	Lagoon nebula
99		M 28	6626	SGR	18:25	-24	52	6.9	GC
100		M 22	6656	SGR	18:36	-23	54	5.1	GC	Excellent.
101		M 69	6637	SGR	18:31	-32	21	7.7	GC
102		M 70	6681	SGR	18:43	-32	18	8.1	GC
103		M 54	6715	SGR	18:55	-30	29	7.7	GC
104		M 55	6809	SGR	19:40	-30	58	7.0	GC
105		M 75	6864	SGR	20:06	-21	55	8.6	GC
106		M 15	7078	PEG	21:30	12	10	6.4	GC
107		M 2	7089	AQR	21:33	0	-49	6.5	GC
108		M 72	6981	AQR	20:54	-12	32	9.4	GC
109		M 73	6994	AQR	20:58	-12	38		ast	Asterism or open cluster
110		M 30	7099	CAP	21:40	-23	11	7.5	GC


									* Object types:
									PN	Planetary nebula
									DN	Dark, Diffuse nebula
									GC	Globular cluster
									OC	Open cluster
									SG	Spiral galaxy
									EG	Elliptical galaxy
									IR	Irregular galaxy