Atlas of the Messier Objects: Highlights of the Deep Sky

Messier’s catalog of 110 star clusters, nebulae, and galaxies is the most popular list of deep sky gems. The first edition of this stunning reference atlas was hailed as the most comprehensive, detailed, and beautiful account of the Messier objects then available and the second edition continues this trend.Each object is presented with:Updated historical information, including from new sources, such as William Herschel, featuring accounts and anecdotes from Messier and other prominent visual observers who followed himThoroughly researched astrophysical information, the results of an investigation of more than 500 recent scientific papers including, for the first time, fully consistent distance data from the Gaia space observatoryExtensive information on visual observing using the naked eye, binoculars, and amateur telescopes from modest sizes up to 20 inches aperture.New large-scale color photos from some of the world’s best amateurs displaying the objects’ splendor, as well as close-u