Messier, Charles (1730-1817)

French astronomer, born on 26 June 1730 in Badonvillier, Lorraine, France. He became interested in astronomy in younger years. Then he went to Paris, where he arrived on 2 October 1751 and was employed by Joseph-Nicolas Delisle, because of his fine hand-writing.

In 1757 Charles Messier started looking for comet Halley. During these observations he discovered another comet-like patch in Taurus on 28 August 1758. The patch was not moving, and he later identified it as a nebula (now known as the Crab Nebula), earlier found by John Bevis. Messier decided to make a catalogue of nebulous objects that simulate comets, with Bevis's nebula the first entry, M1. While discovering two comets in 1763-1764, he recorded two more nebulae, M2 (previously discovered by Jean-Dominique Maraldi) and M3 (globular cluster, his first original discovery). He undertook systematic searches for comets and nebulae, and searched the literature. This brought his catalogue to 110, of which 42 objects were discovered by himself.

Messier lost his salary and pension during the period culminated in the 'Year of Terror' in 1793-1794, but resumed observing, bringing his total score of comets to 20, 13 being original and 7 being independent co-discoveries.

In his old age, Messier accepted the Cross of the Legion of Honor from Napoleon, but ruined much of his scientific reputation by publishing an astrological memoir identifying the great comet of 1769 with Napoleon, born that year. In 1815 Messier suffered a stroke which left him partially paralysed. On 12 April 1817 Charles Messier passed away in his 87 year, in his home in Paris.