Thanks to technological developments, we mere mortals can now see unimaginably distant places in unprecedented detail without leaving the comfort of our home.  However, before there were Hubble-generation telescopes; and before NASA or the ESA were even formed; people believed our galaxy was all that exists. That is, until (now legendary) astronomer Charles Messier entered. Using the best telescopes of the times, Messier took to the skies, compiling a list of regions that were previously unknown to science. About 200 years later, Messier's list now contains over 100 entries, each of them outlined by the Messier Catalog.

 Some of your favorite regions likely belong to the catalog, from the Andromeda (M31) and Triangulum (M33) galaxies, to the Great Orion nebula. All of these regions deserve attention, but no one can deny that some are much more enjoyable to look at than others Here, we've compiled a slider showing many of the most beautiful and notable Messier objects from its catalog.

SLIDER: MESSIER OBJECTS

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