Who publishes Messier Nebulae?

High Energy Astrophysics Science Archive Research Center, part of National Aeronautics and Space Administration, publishes this dataset on Data.gov.

How often is it updated?

The publisher does not list a schedule. The last update was on 10/27/2026.

How do I download it?

Use the official source link above to view or request the data.

Checked Oct 30, 2026

Federal dataScience & Research

Messier Nebulae

Name: Messier Nebulae
Creator: High Energy Astrophysics Science Archive Research Center
License: https://www.usa.gov/government-works

Published by High Energy Astrophysics Science Archive Research Center · Updated 10/27/2026

Official source

Last updated: 10/27/2026
Update frequency: Not listed
Formats: 1; BIN
Coverage: Nationwide; Federal data

About this dataset

The Messier Catalog of bright, extended objects was compiled by the comet-hunter Charles Messier in the 18th century. It comprised a list of 110 objects which are mostly brighter than 10th magnitude and have angular sizes from 1 to 100 arcminutes. M 102 is now generally considered to be spurious, and the object so named was actually M 101. Hence this electronic version of the Messier Catalog contains only 109 objects. The objects in the Messier Catalog are predominantly star clusters in our Milky Way galaxy, with 29 of them being globular clusters, 27 open clusters; the rest are spiral galaxies (27), elliptical galaxies (11), diffuse and planetary nebulae (10), and miscellaneous objects (5). All of the objects in the Messier Catalog are north of -35 degrees declination. This is a service provided by NASA HEASARC.

Science & Research

Files and access

Links open the official government source

Web pageheasarc.gsfc.nasa.govWeb page
BINheasarc.gsfc.nasa.govBIN

Links open outside websites we do not control.

Frequently asked questions

Who publishes Messier Nebulae?: High Energy Astrophysics Science Archive Research Center, part of National Aeronautics and Space Administration, publishes this dataset on Data.gov.
How often is it updated?: The publisher does not list a schedule. The last update was on 10/27/2026.
How do I download it?: Use the official source link above to view or request the data.

Where this catalog comes from

Data.gov CatalogU.S. General Services Administration
State and local open data portalsSocrata Discovery API
State and city CKAN portalsCalifornia, Virginia, Boston, Houston and more
Government ArcGIS Hub sitesCity and county GIS data

Catalog checked 10/30/2026

We list dataset descriptions only. Downloads and APIs link straight to the official government source, which holds the current version and its terms of use.

Source: Data.gov · Last updated 10/30/2026 · Listing only; the data stays with the publisher