Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Triangulum (Tri)  ·  Contains:  M 33  ·  NGC 598  ·  Triangulum galaxy
Messier 33 (M33) The Triangulum Galaxy, astrobillbinMontana
Messier 33 (M33) The Triangulum Galaxy
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Messier 33 (M33) The Triangulum Galaxy

Messier 33 (M33) The Triangulum Galaxy, astrobillbinMontana
Messier 33 (M33) The Triangulum Galaxy
Powered byPixInsight

Messier 33 (M33) The Triangulum Galaxy

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Description

Messier 33 (M33) is a face-on spiral galaxy found in the small, northern constellation of Triangulum. Its popular names include the Triangulum Galaxy or the Pinwheel Galaxy due to the fact that it resembles a child's pinwheel. M33 is over 50,000 light years in diameter and is the third largest galaxy in the Local Group of galaxies after the Andromeda Galaxy (M31) and our own Milky Way Galaxy.

M33 is about 3 million light years from the Earth and is thought to be a satellite of the Andromeda Galaxy. If we were on a planet orbiting a star at the edge of the Andromeda Galaxy, we would be treated to a spectacular view of this nearby galaxy arching overhead.

Visible in this image are some of M33's blue star clusters and pinkish star forming regions along the galaxy's loosely wound spiral arms. NGC 604 is the brightest star forming region, seen here at the approximate 3 o'clock position from the galactic center bulge.

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Messier 33 (M33) The Triangulum Galaxy, astrobillbinMontana