Would one of you kind astronomers give a layman's definition to me.

Very simply, a Messier object is any one of the 110 (109, if you exclude M102
as a duplicate observation of M101) objects catalogued by Charles Messier
during the late 18th century.

They are designated, M1 through M110. Most also have designations in Dreyer's
New General Catalog (NGC).

Visit my "Messier" section for observation notes and sketches of all the
Messier objects: http://members.aol.com/billferris/messier.html

Regards,

Bill Ferris
"Cosmic Voyage: The Online Resource for Amateur Astronomers"
URL: http://www.cosmic-voyage.net
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