Famous Astronomical Catalogs

The Messier catalog, compiled by Charles Messier in the 18th century, contains 110 deep-sky objects that are relatively easy to observe with small telescopes.

The New General Catalog, compiled by John Louis Emil Dreyer in the 19th century, contains over 7,800 galaxies, nebulae, and star clusters.

The Henry Draper Catalog, compiled by Annie Jump Cannon and her team in the early 20th century, contains over 225,000 bright stars, providing their spectral classifications.

The Bright Star Catalog, compiled by various astronomers over the years, contains information on the brightest stars visible to the naked eye.

The Gliese Catalog, compiled by Wilhelm Gliese in the 20th century, contains over 3,800 nearby stars within 25 parsecs of the Sun.

The Hipparcos Catalog, compiled by the European Space Agency in the 1990s, provides highly accurate positions and distances for over 118,000 stars.

The Tycho Catalog, compiled by the European Space Agency in the 1990s, contains information on over 2.5 million bright stars, including their positions, magnitudes, and colors.

The Washington Double Star Catalog, compiled by various astronomers over the years, contains information on over 100,000 double and multiple star systems.

The SAO Catalog, compiled by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, contains information on over 250,000 bright stars, including their positions, magnitudes, and colors.

The General Catalog of Variable Stars, compiled by various astronomers over the years, contains information on over 45,000 variable stars, including their types, periods, and magnitudes.

The Yale Bright Star Catalog, compiled by various astronomers over the years, contains information on over 9,000 bright stars, including their positions, magnitudes, and colors.

The White Dwarf Catalog, compiled by various astronomers over the years, contains information on over 20,000 white dwarf stars, including their positions, magnitudes, and spectral types.

The PPM Star Catalog, compiled by various astronomers over the years, contains precise positions and proper motions for over 425,000 stars.

The Principal Galaxies Catalog, compiled by Gérard de Vaucouleurs in the 20th century, contains information on over 2,000 bright galaxies, including their positions, magnitudes, and morphological types.

The Uppsala General Catalog, compiled by various astronomers over the years, contains information on over 12,000 galaxies, including spiral galaxies, elliptical galaxies, and irregular galaxies.