“ “What caused me to undertake the catalog was the nebula I discovered above the southern horn of Taurus on September 12, 1758, while observing the comet of that year. ... This nebula had such a resemblance to a comet in its form and brightness that I endeavored to find others, so that astronomers would not confuse these same nebulae with comets just beginning to shine. I observed further with suitable refractors for the discovery of comets, and this is the purpose I had in mind in compiling the catalog.After me, the celebrated Herschel published a catalog of 2000 which he has observed. This unveiling the sky, made with instruments of great aperture, does not help in the perusal of the sky for faint comets. Thus my object is different from his, and I need only nebulae visible in a telescope of two feet [focal length].” — Charles Messier ✦ Customize This Quote SAVE: .PNG .JPG .SVG COPY DESIGN: ✦ EXTREME MIX THEME PATTERN FRAME CUSTOM BG: UPLOAD IMAGE ✕ CLEAR DIM: FONT: Playfair Display Cinzel Royal Cormorant EB Garamond Lora Editorial Merriweather Baskerville Roboto Slab Montserrat Raleway Oswald Bold Lato Clean Great Vibes Dancing Script Pacifico Caveat Brush Amatic SC RATIO: Auto Fit 4:5 Portrait 1:1 Square 5:4 Classic 16:9 Wide 9:16 Story 3:4 Poster RES: 1x Standard 2x HD (1080p) 3x Ultra (4K) 4x Extreme Print BG PAT QUOTE AUTHOR FRAME “What caused me to undertake the catalog was the nebula I discovered above the southern horn of Taurus on September 12, 1758, while observing the comet of that year. ... This nebula had such a resemblance to a comet in its form and brightness that I endeavored to find others, so that astronomers would not confuse these same nebulae with comets just beginning to shine. I observed further with suitable refractors for the discovery of comets, and this is the purpose I had in mind in compiling the catalog.After me, the celebrated Herschel published a catalog of 2000 which he has observed. This unveiling the sky, made with instruments of great aperture, does not help in the perusal of the sky for faint comets. Thus my object is different from his, and I need only nebulae visible in a telescope of two feet [focal length].” — Charles Messier