Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Triangulum (Tri)  ·  Contains:  HD9269  ·  HD9483  ·  HD9686  ·  IC 131  ·  IC 132  ·  IC 133  ·  IC 135  ·  IC 136  ·  IC 137  ·  IC 142  ·  IC 143  ·  M 33  ·  NGC 588  ·  NGC 592  ·  NGC 595  ·  NGC 598  ·  NGC 604  ·  Triangulum Galaxy  ·  Triangulum Pinwheel
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M33, Justin Worden
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M33

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M33, Justin Worden
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M33

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Description

The Triangulum Galaxy is a spiral galaxy 2.73 million light-years (ly) from Earth in the constellation Triangulum. It is catalogued as Messier 33 or NGC (New General Catalogue) 598. With the D25 isophotal diameter of 18.74 kiloparsecs (61,100 light-years), the Triangulum Galaxy is the third-largest member of the Local Group of galaxies, behind the Andromeda Galaxy and the Milky Way. It is one of the most distant permanent objects that can be viewed with the naked eye.[7]

The galaxy is the smallest spiral galaxy in the Local Group (although the smaller Large and Small Magellanic Clouds may have been spirals before their encounters with the Milky Way), and is believed to be a satellite of the Andromeda Galaxy or on its rebound into the latter due to their interactions, velocities,[8] and proximity to one another in the night sky. It also has an H II nucleus.[9]

Under exceptionally good viewing conditions with no light pollution, the Triangulum Galaxy can be seen with the 20/20 vision naked eye;[15] to those viewers, it will sometimes be the farthest permanent entity visible without magnification.[16][17] Its light diffuses (spreads) across a little more than a pinprick of the unmagnified sky, the cause of which is its broadness – this astronomers term a diffuse, rather than compact, object.

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M33, Justin Worden

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