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Meesier numbers

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  • 1 February 2018 at 5:41 pm #573938
    Jeremy Rundle
    Participant

    OK, may sound dumb but, why does the Milky way” not have an M number like M31

    Thank you

    1 February 2018 at 6:17 pm #579034
    Grant Privett
    Participant

    There was little chance of him confusing it for a comet?

    1 February 2018 at 8:05 pm #579035
    Jeremy Rundle
    Participant

    So are there any other designations given that the MW could have, sorry, just wondered such as Caldwell (Patrick)

    1 February 2018 at 10:26 pm #579037
    Stewart Moore
    Participant

    Messier named objects that he felt could be confused with comets when he was comet hunting.  As Grant has pointed out, it is unlikely he would have confused the Milky Way with a comet.  Within the Milky Way there are thousands of star clusters, emission, reflection and planetary nebulae which all have their own designations – many of them Messier numbers.

    2 February 2018 at 9:16 am #579042
    Jeremy Rundle
    Participant

    Thank you for answering a silly newby question

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