Charles Messier discovered Messier 84 on 18 March 1781 in a systematic search for "nebulous objects" in the night sky.

Charles Messier discovered Messier 84 in 1781 when he searched for "nebulous objects" in the night sky.

After communicating his finding, French astronomer Charles Messier confirmed the finding four days later and added it to his catalogue of nebulous objects.

Charles Messier added it to his catalogue of nebulous objects (now known as the Messier Catalogue) in March 1781.

Under dark skies the Beehive Cluster looks like a nebulous object to the naked eye; thus it has been known since ancient times.

He compiled a catalog of some 40 entries, including at least 19 real and verifiable nebulous objects that might be confused with comets.

He is noted for his catalogue of nearly 10,000 southern stars, including 42 nebulous objects.

Due to this error, he created his catalogue of non-cometary nebulous objects, the Messier Catalogue, to avoid such mistakes in the future.

In the 1790s, English astronomer William Herschel began an extensive study of nebulous celestial objects.

The planetarium is equipped with the SkySkan DigitalSky starfield projector that can simulate stars, planets, comets, nebulous objects and other special effects.