The Messier list starts with 103 deep-sky objects observed by the 18th century French astronomer Charles Messier. The Messier objects all appear as fuzzy, nebulous patches in the sky. The names of Messier objects come from their number in the original catalog by Charles Messier. Since all the Messier objects are fairly bright, finding Messier objects is an ideal project for the beginning stargazer. A Messier marathon: See all Messier objectsIn addition, every year in March, all 110 Messier objects are visible during a single night.