Messier Object Discovery Statistics

Discoverers are given together with their scores (format: Number of Original Discoveries "+" Number of Independent Re- or Codiscoveries) and the objects discovered (codiscoveries in parentheses, uncounted "other" pre-discoveries in brackets). Here ordered alphabetically by name.

It is certainly known that the discoveries of some objects may be disputed and thus the list modified. Note we take NGC 5866 as M102 (discovered by Méchain and co- or rediscovered by Messier as well as (later) by William Herschel).

Note: Very recently awareness arose on several additional independent co-discoveries of a number of Messier objects by Johann Elert Bode which are currently worked into this list.


Discoverer  Score  Objects
 
Al Sufi      1      31
Aratus       1      44
Aristotle          [39?][41]
Bevis        1+1     1  (35)
Bode         4+14   (2) (10) (12) (15) (29) (33) (34) (37) (39) (43)
                   (48) (50) (51)  53  (64)  81   82   92
Cassini GD         [50]
Cysatus       +1   (42)
Darquier     1      57
De Chéseaux  6+1     4   (6)  16   17   25   35   71
De Mairan    1      43
Flamsteed     +2    (8) (41)
Halley       1      13
Herschel C    +2   (48)(110)
Herschel W    +9   (47) (91)(102)(104)(105)(106)(107)(108)(109)
Hesiod        +1   [45]
Hevelius           [40]
Hipparchus    +1   (44)
Hodierna     9+2     6    8  (31)  33   34   36   37   38   41  (42)  47
Homer        1      45
Huygens       +1   (42)
Ihle         1      22
Kirch        2       5   11
Koehler      3+3    59   60   67  (71) (81) (82)
Lacaille     2+3    (4)  (6)  (7)  55   83
Le Gentil    1+2    32  (36) (38)
Maraldi      2       2   15
Marius        +1   (31)
Méchain     25+4    63  (71)  72   74   75   76   77   78   79  (80)
                   (81) (82)  85   94   95   96   97   98   99  100
                   101  102  103  104  105  106  107  108  109
Messier     44+21   (1)  (2)   3   (5)   9   10   12   14  (16) (17)
                    18   19   20   21   23   24  (25)  26   27   28
                    29   30  (32) (33) (34) (35) (37)  39   40   46
                   (47)  48   49   50   51   52  (53)  54   56  (57)
                    58  (59) (60) (61)  62  (64)  65   66  (67)  68
                    69   70   73   80   84   86   87   88   89   90
                    91  (92)  93 (102) 110
Oriani       1+1   (60)  61
Peiresc      1      42     
Pigott E     1      64
Ptolemy      1       7
Winnecke      +1   (40)

Total      110

Ordered by score, the original discoverers of the Messier Objects are:

Messier (44), Méchain (25), Hodierna (9), De Chéseaux (6), Bode (4), Koehler (3), Kirch, Lacaille and Maraldi (2 each), and Al Sufi, Aratus, Bevis, Darquier, De Mairan, Halley, Homer, Ihle, Le Gentil, Oriani, Peiresc, Edward Pigott and Ptolemy (1 each).

Independent discoveries, including co-discoveries, of Messier Objects lead to the following ranking:

Messier (65), Méchain (29), Bode (18), Hodierna (11), William Herschel (9), De Chéseaux (7), Koehler (6), Lacaille (5), Le Gentil (3), Bevis, Flamsteed, Caroline Herschel, Kirch, Maraldi and Oriani (2 each), and Al Sufi, Aratus, Cysatus, Darquier, De Mairan, Halley, Hesiod, Hipparchus, Homer, Huygens, Ihle, Marius, Peiresc, Edward Pigott, Ptolemy and Winnecke (1 each).

Hartmut Frommert [contact]
[SEDS]