Oswald Thomas' List of Star Clusters and Nebulae (Messier's List)

In his book, "Astronomie, Tatsachen und Probleme" (Thomas 1934), Austrian astronomer Oswald Thomas gives the table of Messier's star clusters and nabulae, as recognized by him at that time, in 1934. Notably, he gives the first identification of the missing Messier Objsct M48, lists missing M47 with the NGC number for Messier's wrong position, and marks the other missing objects of that time as missing, notably M40, M91, and M102. He also does not list the (later added) additional objects M104 to M110, and thus ends with M103.

(14) Sternhaufen- und Nebelliste
[(14) List of Star Clusters and Nebulae]

Die M-Liste, d.h Liste von Messier, enthält hellere Sternhaufen und Nebel. NGC bedeutet den Neuen Generalkatolog von Dreyer, nach dem helle wie schwache Objekte benannt werden.
[The M List, i.e. List of Messier, contains brighter star clusters and nabulae. NGC means the New General Catalog of Dreyer, according to whom both bright and faint objects are named.] 
M No.  Right Ascension and  NGC-  Con  Object                      Comment
       Declination f. 1900   No.


  1        ( 5 29 +22)      1952  Tau  Gaseous Nebula
  2        (21 28 -01)      7089  Aqr  Globular Cluster
  3        (13 38 +29)      5272  CVn  Globular Cluster
  4        (16 18 -26)      6121  Sco  Globular Cluster
  5        (15 14 +02)      5904  Ser  Globular Cluster
  6        (17 34 -32)      6405  Sco  Open Cluster
  7        (17 47 -35)      6475  Sco  Open Cluster
  8        (17 58 -24)      6523  Sgr  Gaseous Nebula and Cluster
  9        (17 13 -18)      6333  Oph  Globular Cluster
 10        (16 52 -04)      6254  Oph  Globular Cluster

 11        (18 46 -06)      6705  Sct  Open Cluster
 12        (16 42 -02)      6218  Oph  Globular Cluster
 13        (16 38 +37)      6205  Her  Globular Cluster
 14        (17 32 -03)      6402  Oph  Globular Cluster
 15        (21 25 +12)      7078  Peg  Globular Cluster            Nebula not noted
 16        (18 13 -14)      6611  Ser  Open Cluster                
 17        (18 15 -16)      6618  Sgr  Gaseous Nebula
 18        (18 14 -17)      6613  Sgr  Open Cluster
 19        (16 56 -26)      6273  Oph  Globular Cluster
 20        (17 56 -24)      6514  Sgr  Gaseous Nebula

 21        (17 59 -23)      6531  Sgr  Open Cluster
 22        (18 30 -24)      6656  Sgr  Globular Cluster
 23        (17 51 -19)      6494  Sgr  Open Cluster
 24        (18 13 -19)      6603  Sgr  Open Cluster                Star Cloud not noted
 25        (18 26 -19)       --   Sgr  Open Cluster                IC entry not noted
 26        (18 40 -10)      6694  Sct  Open Cluster
 27        (19 55 +25)      6853  Vul  Gaseous Nebula
 28        (18 18 -25)      6626  Sgr  Globular Cluster
 29        (20 20 +38)      6913  Cyg  Open Cluster
 30        (21 35 -24)      7099  Cap  Globular Cluster

 31        ( 0 37 +41)       224  And  Spiral Nebula
 32        ( 0 37 +40)       221  And  Spiral Nebula
 33        ( 1 28 +30)       598  Tri  Spiral Nebula
 34        ( 2 36 +42)      1039  Per  Open Cluster
 35        ( 6 03 +24)      2168  Gem  Open Cluster
 36        ( 5 30 +34)      1960  Aur  Open Cluster
 37        ( 5 45 +33)      2099  Aur  Open Cluster
 38        ( 5 23 +36)      1912  Aur  Open Cluster
 39        (21 28 +48)      7092  Cyg  Open Cluster
 40            ---           --   --   --                          Missing

M No.  Right Ascension and  NGC-  Con  Object                      Comment
       Declination f. 1900   No.

 41        ( 6 43 -21)      2287  CMa  Open Cluster
 42        ( 5 30 -05)      1976  Ori  Gaseous Nebula
 43        ( 5 31 -05)      1982  Ori  Gaseous Nebula
 44        ( 8 34 +20)      2632  Cnc  Open Cluster
 45        ( 3 42 +24)       --   Tau  Open Cluster
 46        ( 7 37 -15)      2437  Argo Open Cluster
 47        ( 7 50 -15)      2478  Argo Open Cluster                M wrong pos.
 48        ( 8 09 -06)      2548  Hya  Open Cluster                New identification!
 49        (12 25 +09)      4472  Vir  Spiral Nebula
 50        ( 6 58 -08)      2323  Mon  Open Cluster

 51        (13 26 +48)      5194  CVn  Spiral Nebula
 52        (23 20 +61)      7654  Cas  Open Cluster
 53        (13 08 +19)      5024  Com  Globular Cluster
 54        (18 48 -31)      6715  Sgr  Globular Cluster
 55        (19 33 -31)      6809  Sgr  Open Cluster                Actually Globular
 56        (19 13 +30)      6779  Lyr  Globular Cluster
 57        (18 50 +33)      6720  Lyr  Gaseous Nebula
 58        (12 33 +12)      4579  Vir  Spiral Nebula
 59        (12 37 +12)      4621  Vir  Spiral Nebula
 60        (12 39 +12)      4649  Vir  Spiral Nebula

 61        (12 17 +05)      4303  Vir  Spiral Nebula
 62        (16 53 -30)      6266  Oph  Globular Cluster
 63        (13 11 +43)      5055  CVn  Spiral Nebula
 64        (12 52 +22)      4826  Com  Spiral Nebula
 65        (11 14 +14)      3623  Leo  Spiral Nebula
 66        (11 15 +14)      3627  Leo  Spiral Nebula
 67        ( 8 46 +12)      2682  Cnc  Open Cluster
 68        (12 34 -26)      4590  Hya  Globular Cluster
 69        (18 25 -32)      6637  Sgr  Globular Cluster
 70        (18 37 -32)      6681  Sgr  Globular Cluster

 71        (19 49 +19)      6838  Sge  Globular Cluster
 72        (20 43 -13)      6981  Aqr  Globular Cluster
 73        (20 54 -13)      6994  Aqr  Star Group
 74        ( 1 31 +15)       628  Psc  Spiral Nebula
 75        (20 00 -22)      6864  Sgr  Globular Cluster
 76        ( 1 36 +51)       650  Per  Gaseous Nebula
 77        ( 2 38 -00)      1068  Cet  Spiral Nebula
 78        ( 5 42 +00)      2068  Ori  Gaseous Nebula
 79        ( 5 20 -25)      1904  Lep  Globular Cluster
 80        (16 11 -23)      6093  Sco  Globular Cluster

M No.  Right Ascension and  NGC-  Con  Object                      Comment
       Declination f. 1900   No.

 81        ( 9 47 +70)      3031  UMa  Spiral Nebula
 82        ( 9 48 +70)      3034  UMa  Spiral Nebula
 83        (13 31 -29)      5236  Hya  Spiral Nebula
 84        (12 20 +13)      4374  Vir  Spiral Nebula
 85        (12 20 +19)      4381  Com  Spiral Nebula
 86        (12 21 +14)      4406  Vir  Spiral Nebula
 87        (12 26 +13)      4486  Vir  Spiral Nebula
 88        (12 27 +15)      4501  Com  Spiral Nebula
 89        (12 31 +13)      4552  Vir  Nebula                      "Spiral" not noted
 90        (13 32 +14)      4569  Vir  Spiral Nebula

 91            ---           --   --   --                          Missing
 92        (17 14 +43)      6341  Her  Globular Cluster
 93        ( 7 40 -24)      2447  Argo Open Cluster
 94        (12 46 +42)      4736  CVn  Spiral Nebula
 95        (10 39 +12)      3351  Leo  Spiral Nebula
 96        (10 42 +12)      3368  Leo  Spiral Nebula
 97        (11 09 +56)      3587  UMa  Gaseous Nebula
 98        (12 09 +15)      4192  Com  Spiral Nebula
 99        (12 14 +15)      4254  Com  Spiral Nebula

100        (12 18 +16)      4321  Com  Spiral Nebula
101        (14 00 +55)      5457  UMa  Spiral Nebula
102            ---           --   --   --                          Missing
103        ( 1 27 +60)       581  Cas  Open Cluster

Note: This list does not distinguish the types of "Gaseous Nebulae," i.e. Diffuse Nebulae, Planetary Nebulae, and Supernova Remnants. All galaxies are designated "Spiral Nebulae."
Note 2: Constellation are listed with their German name, abbrevated here for readability and simplicity. List of all constellations used here: 

Con   Constellation     German Name             Note

And   Andromeda         Andromeda
Aqr   Aquarius          Wassermann
Argo  Ship Argo         Schiff Argo             here Puppis in all cases
Aur   Auriga            Fuhrmann
Cap   Capricornus       Steinbock
Cas   Cassiopeia        Kassiopeia
Cet   Cetus             Walfisch
CMa   Canis Major       Großer Hund
Cnc   Cancer            Krebs
Com   Coma Berenices    Haar der Berenike
CVn   Canes Venatici    Jagdhunde
Cyg   Cygnus            Schwan
Gem   Gemini            Zwillinge
Her   Hercules          Herkules
Hya   Hydra             Wasserschlange
Leo   Leo               Löwe
Lep   Lepus             Hase
Lyr   Lyra              Leier
Mon   Monoceros         Einhorn
Oph   Ophiuchus         Schlangenträger
Ori   Orion             Orion
Peg   Pegasus           Pegasus
Per   Perseus           Perseus
Psc   Pisces            Fische
Sco   Scorpius          Skorpion
Sct   Scutum            Schild
Ser   Serpens           Schlange
Sge   Sagitta           Pfeil
Sgr   Sagittarius       Schütze
Tau   Taurus            Stier
Tri   Triangulum        Dreieck
UMa   Ursa Major        Großer Bär
Vir   Virgo             Jungfrau
Vul   Vulpecula         Fuchs
Thomas uses old constellaton "Argo Navis" ("Schiff Argo") for all its parts, in Messier's list, these objects are all in Puppis.

References

Hartmut Frommert
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Last Modification: May 23, 2026
Created: May 23, 2026