Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

messier number

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.80 in modern English

Syllables
messier num-ber
IPA
19
Scrabble Score
13
Letters
2
Syllables
8
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A catalogue number used to identify any one of more than one hundred galaxies, nebulae, and other deep-sky objects visible in the night sky; the designation formed by the surname Messier or letter M being prepended to the number, as in Messier 31 or M31 (the Andromeda Galaxy).

Etymology

From Charles Messier (1730-1817), the French astronomer who first published his Catalogue of Nebulae and Star Clusters in 1774.

Inflected Forms

Messier numbers (plural)

Frequently Paired Words

NGC

Questions

What does messier number mean?
A catalogue number used to identify any one of more than one hundred galaxies, nebulae, and other deep-sky objects visible in the night sky; the designation formed by the surname Messier or letter M being prepended to the number, as in Messier 31 or M31 (the Andromeda Galaxy).
Where does messier number come from?
From Charles Messier (1730-1817), the French astronomer who first published his Catalogue of Nebulae and Star Clusters in 1774.

How to pronounce messier number

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “messier number”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “messier number”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “messier number” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.