Deep Sky Astronomers

Discoverers of Deep Sky Objects

Hesiod (bet. 1000 and 700 BC)
Aristotle (384-322 BC)
Hipparchus (c. 190-120 BC)
Ptolemy (c. 85-165 AD)
Al Sufi (903-986 AD)
Galilei, Galileo (1564-1642)
Peiresc, Nicholas-Claude Fabri de (1580-1637)
Marius, Simon (1570-1624)
Cysatus (1588-1657)
Huygens, Christiaan (1629-95)
Hodierna, Giovanni Battista (1597-1660)
Bullialdus, Ismail (17th century)
Hevelius, Johan [Jan] (1611-87)
Ihle, M.J. Abraham (late 17th cent.)
Picard, Abbe Jean (1620-82)
Halley, Edmond (1656-1742)
Flamsteed, John (1646-1719)
Kirch, Gottfried (1639-1710)
Cassini, Giovanni Domenico (Cassini I; 1625-1712)
De Mairan, Jean-Jacques Dortous (1678-1771)
Bevis, John (1695-1771)
Derham, William (1657-1735)
De Cheseaux, Philippe Loys (1718-51)
Maraldi, Jean-Dominique (1709-88)
Le Gentil de la Galaziere, Guillaume-Joseph-Hyacinthe-Jean-Baptiste (1725-92)
Lacaille, Abbe Nicholas Louis de (1713-62)
Messier, Charles (1730-1817)
Koehler, Johann Gottfried (1745-1801)
Bode, Johan Elert (1747-1826)
Darquier de Pellepoix, Antoine (1718-1802)
Oriani, Barnabus (1752-1832)
Mechain, Pierre (1744-1804)
Herschel, Caroline (1750-1848)
Herschel, William (1738-1822) 
Dunlop, James (1795-1848)
Herschel, John (1792-1871)

Persons important for the Messier Catalog

Flammarion, Camille (1842-1925) - added M104 Thomas, Oswald (1882-1963) - identified M47 by chance Sawyer Hogg, Helen (1905-1993) - added M105, M106, M107 Morris, T.F. - identified M47, M48 Gingerich, Owen - added M108, M109 Jones, Kenneth Glyn (1915-1995) - added M110 Williams, William C. - identified M91

Mallas, John - identified M40 Kreimer, Evered

Winnecke, A. - found various deepsky objects and double stars including M40

Comet Discoverers and Hunters

Palitzsch (1723-1788)
Messier
Klinkenberg
Helfenzrieder
Montaigne
Bode
Mechain
Pigott
Caroline Herschel
Rigollet
Gregory

Other persons important in Messier's life

Maskelyne
Delisle
Lalande
Lexell
Pingre
Saron
d'Angos

Astronomers important for deep sky astronomy

Barnard, Edward Emerson (1857-1923)
Bessel, Friedrich Wilhelm (1784-1846)
Bond, William Cranch (1789-1859)
Bond, George P. (1826-65)
Cassini II, J. (1677-1756)
Cassini III, C.F. (1714-1784)
Cassini IV, J.D. (1748-1825)
D'Arrest, H.L. (1822-1875)
Gore, John Ellard (1845-1910)
Huggins, William (1824-1910)
Lassell, William (1799-1880)
Maraldi I, J.P.M. (1665-1729)
Piazzi, G. (1746-1826)
Roberts, Isaac (1829-1904)
Rosse, William Parsons, 3rd Earl of (1800-1867)
Smyth, William H. (1788-1865)
Struve, Friedrich Georg Wilhelm (1793-1864)
Webb, Thomas William (1807-1885)
Zach, Francis Xavier, Baron de (1754-1832)

Slipher, Vesto M.
Curtis, Heber D.
Shapley, Harlow
Hubble, Edwin Powell (1889-1953)

Alphabetic Index

Al Sufi
Aristotle

Barnard
Bessel
Bevis
Bode
Bond G.P
Bond W.C
Bullialdus

Cassini, G.D.
Cassini II
Cassini III
Cassini IV
Curtis, Heber D
Cysatus

d'Angos
Darquier
D'Arrest
De Cheseaux
Delisle
De Mairan
Derham
Dunlop

Flammarion
Flamsteed

Galileo
O Gingerich
Gore
Gregory

Halley
Helfenzrieder
Herschel, C.
Herschel, J.
Herschel, W.
Hesiod
Hevelius
Hipparchus
Hodierna
Hogg, H.S.
Hubble, E.P.
Huggins
Huygens

Ihle

Jones, K.G.

Kirch
Klinkenberg
Koehler
Kreimer

Lacaille
Lalande
Lassell
Le Gentil
Lexell

Mallas
Maraldi, J.D.
Maraldi I
Marius
Maskelyne
Mechain
Messier
Montaigne
Morris

Oriani

Palitzsch
Peiresc
Piazzi
Picard
Pingre
Ptolemy

Rigollet
Roberts
Rosse

Saron
Shapley
Slipher
Smyth
Struve

Thomas

Webb
Williams
Winnecke

Zach