Editing Astronomical naming conventions (section)

== Galaxies ==
{{Further|Galaxy#Nomenclature}}

Like stars, most [[galaxies]] do not have names. There are a few exceptions such as the [[Andromeda Galaxy]], the [[Whirlpool Galaxy]], and others, but most simply have a catalog number.

In the 19th century, the exact nature of galaxies was not yet understood, and the early catalogs simply grouped together [[open cluster]]s, [[globular cluster]]s, [[nebula]]s, and galaxies: the [[Messier catalog]] has 110 in total. The Andromeda Galaxy is Messier object 31, or [[Andromeda Galaxy|M31]]; the Whirlpool Galaxy is [[Messier 51|M51]]. The [[New General Catalogue]] (NGC, [[J. L. E. Dreyer]] 1888) was much larger and contained nearly 8,000 objects, still mixing galaxies with nebulas and star clusters.