The Messier Catalogue
110 deep-sky objects, captured over time
In the 18th century, Charles Messier set out to find comets.
To avoid wasting time, he wrote down everything that wasn’t one.
Two centuries later, we return to that list — using it as an invitation to explore the sky, one object at a time.
August
M2, M15, M30, M39, M72, M73
September
M52
October
M31, M32, M33, M74, M76, M103, M110
November
M34, M45, M77
December
M1, M35, M36, M37, M38, M42, M43, M78, M79
The Cosmic Captures Messier Project
In the 18th century, Charles Messier kept a list of the faint, fuzzy objects that kept getting in the way of his comet hunting — patches of light that turned out not to be comets at all. His practical working list became one of the most beloved guides to the deep sky.
This was my journey through that catalogue: all 110 Messier objects, captured one by one with smart telescopes. No perfect conditions, no elaborate rigs — just simple, accessible gear under real skies, to show what's genuinely possible with the equipment most of us actually own.
Working the whole list from end to end taught me the sky more deeply than any single target could — how the seasons hand off from one region to the next, and how differently a galaxy, a globular, and a nebula each need to be captured and processed.
The result is complete: a real-world Messier catalogue, shot entirely with smart telescopes and gathered into a single poster. I hope it stands as a practical reference — and as a bit of proof that you don't need a mountaintop or an observatory to see all 110 for yourself.
Complete — 110 objects captured :)
Join the Journey on Patreon
If you’d like to follow along more closely — or build your own catalogue alongside mine — you can join me in The Cosmic Kitchen on Patreon.
There, I share the tools used in this project, including the Messier list, the Messier sky map and a Canva poster template.
If this project inspires you to explore the sky yourself, you’re very welcome to join us.