Charles Messier lived in Paris in the 18th century. He wanted to become famous by discovering comets. When he looked through his telescope he often re-discovered objects which were already known and were not comets. So he didn't waste time, each time he found an object that did not move in the sky he catalogued it.
There are 110 objects in the catalogue. I've selected 40 of the best examples taken with the LCOGT network and made a Messier Bingo game out of them.
How to play
- Download as many bingo cards as you have players. There are 10 cards in total but more than one person could have the same card in a large group.
- Launch the Messier Bingo random image tombola. This little application will simulate the Bingo tombola and give you random Messier objects.
- Select what information you want the tool to display 'Messier number', 'Object names', 'Object Type' (for the first time around you might want to select at least the 'Messier Number' because objects look very similar).
- Click 'Start the game'
- Mark your card each time one of your objects appears
- When you have marked all the objects on your card shout 'Bingo', 'House' or even 'Messier' to win.
Advanced game
If you want to play a more advanced game, you have to (correctly) identify the type of each of your objects before winning.
Random image tombola
This tool generates random images for you to play the game with, simulating a traditional bingo tombola. Because the images are show in a random order and are not taken out of circulation once they have been played, more people can join the game once it has started. Click on the image to launch it or on this link to the tombola.
When to play?
If you are playing this game in a classroom or astronomy club, it would be perfect after learning about different types of astronomical objects.
If you are playing with a group of friends and do not know what each type of object is, have a look at our how-to guides particularly the one about the lifecycle of stars.
