Charles Messier was a French astronomer. He published an astronomical catalogue consisting of 110 nebulae and star clusters, which came to be known as the Messier objects, referred to with the letter M and their number between 1 and 110. Messier's purpose for the catalogue was to help astronomical observers distinguish between permanent and transient visually diffuse objects in the sky.
In ancient times, only the Sun and Moon, a few stars, and the most easily visible planets had names. Over the last few hundred years, the number of identified astronomical objects has risen from hundreds to over a billion, and more are discovered every year. Astronomers need to be able to assign systematic designations to unambiguously identify all of these objects, and at the same time give names to the most interesting objects, and where relevant, features of those objects.
Provisional designation in astronomy is the naming convention applied to astronomical objects immediately following their discovery. The provisional designation is usually superseded by a permanent designation once a reliable orbit has been calculated. Approximately 47% of the more than 1,100,000 known minor planets remain provisionally designated, as hundreds of thousands have been discovered in the last two decades.
Lewis A. Swift was an American astronomer who discovered 13 comets and 1,248 previously uncatalogued nebulae. Only William Herschel discovered more nebulae visually.
Josep Comas i Solà was a Spanish astronomer, of Catalan origin, discoverer of minor planets, comets, and double stars.
John Edward Mellish was an American amateur astronomer and telescope builder.
Heinrich Carl Friedrich Kreutz was a German astronomer, most notable for his studies of the orbits of several sungrazing comets, which revealed that they were all related objects, produced when a very large Sun-grazing comet fragmented several hundred years previously. The group is now known as the Kreutz Sungrazers, and has produced some of the brightest comets ever seen, including X/1106 C1 and Comet Ikeya–Seki. The source of the group may have been the Great Comet of 371 BC.
Marseille Observatory is an astronomical observatory located in Marseille, France, with a history that goes back to the early 18th century. In its 1877 incarnation, it was the discovery site of a group of galaxies known as Stephan's Quintet, discovered by its director Édouard Stephan. Marseille Observatory is now run as a joint research unit by Aix-Marseille University and the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS).
105P/Singer Brewster is a periodic comet in the Solar System. It was discovered in 1986, and received the name of 1986d under the old naming system.
Mellish is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
Comet Pons may refer to any one of these comets:
Terry Lovejoy is an information technologist from Thornlands, Queensland, Australia, most widely known as an amateur astronomer. He has discovered six comets, including C/2011 W3 (Lovejoy), the first Kreutz Sungrazing comet discovered by ground-based observation in over 40 years. He is also known for popularizing procedures for modifying consumer-grade digital cameras so that they can be used for digital camera astrophotography.
The Canis-Minorids, also called the Beta Canis Minorids, are a meteor shower that arises near the fifth-magnitude star 11 Canis Minoris. They were discovered in 1964 by Keith Hindley, who investigated their trajectory and proposed a common origin with the comet C/1917 F1 (Mellish). However, this conclusion has been disputed, as the number of orbits analysed was low and their trajectories too disparate to confirm a link. They last from 4 to 15 December, peaking over 10 and 11 December.
Comet Boattini can refer to any comets discovered by the astronomer Andrea Boattini:
Comet Mellish, also known formally as C/1915 C1, is one of five comets discovered by American astronomer John E. Mellish. It is a hyperbolic comet that reached perihelion on July 17, 1915. However, just two months earlier, Edward E. Barnard had reported the comet had splitted into three distinct objects in May 12, later increasing to four by May 24. In addition, it is thought that this comet was the parent body of the June Lyrids meteor shower, which was first discovered in 1966.
C/1907 G1 (Grigg–Mellish) is a long-period comet discovered independently by John Grigg and John E. Mellish in April 1907. The comet has been identified as the parent body of the delta Pavonids meteor shower.
Comet Swift or Swift's Comet, may refer to any of the 9 comets discovered by American astronomer, Lewis A. Swift, below:
Comet Giacobini, or Giacobini's Comet, may refer to any of the 10 comets discovered by French astronomer, Michel Giacobini, below:
Comet Barnard, or Barnard's Comet, may refer to any of the 13 comets discovered by American astronomer, Edward Emerson Barnard, below:
Comet Denning, or Denning's Comet, may refer to any of the three comets discovered by British astronomer, William Frederick Denning, below:
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