Hubble's Messier Marathon 2026

Every year, stargazers convene for the "Messier Marathon" — a challenge to observe as many cosmic objects from the Messier catalog as possible in a single night. The catalog was compiled in the 1700s by French astronomer Charles Messier and features several ideal targets for backyard astronomers.

No telescope? No problem. Stargaze from your screen with Hubble, as a suite of new Messier images are unveiled from March 14-21.

Hubble’s ultraviolet image of Messier 10’s dense core reveals its high population of blue stragglers.

Charles Messier (1730–1817) was a French astronomer best known for his "Catalog of Nebulae and Star Clusters." An avid comet-hunter, Messier compiled a catalog of deep-sky objects in order to help prevent other comet enthusiasts from wasting their time studying objects that were not comets. Explore Hubble's science highlights and discover more topics from Hubble.

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