Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Triangulum (Tri)  ·  Contains:  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, Mathieu Guinot
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M33

Getting plate-solving status, please wait...
M33, Mathieu Guinot
Powered byPixInsight

M33

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Description

Spiral galaxy M33 is located in the triangle-shaped constellation Triangulum, earning it the nickname the Triangulum galaxy. About half the size of our Milky Way galaxy, M33 is the third-largest member of our Local Group of galaxies following the Andromeda galaxy (M31) and the Milky Way.
The Triangulum galaxy’s orderly spiral structure displays few signs of interactions with nearby galaxies. However, that could change in the future. Only slightly farther away from us than the Andromeda galaxy, about 3 million light-years from Earth, M33 is a suspected gravitational companion to Andromeda, and both galaxies are moving toward our own. M33 could become a third party involved in the impending collision between the Andromeda and Milky Way galaxies more than 4 billion years from now.
M33 has a relatively bright apparent magnitude of 5.7, making it one of the most distant objects that keen-eyed observers can view with the unaided eye (under exceptionally clear and dark skies).


The many beautiful emission nebulae (red ionised hydrogen) contained in this galaxy are well visible and detailed thanks to the exposures through the hydrogen filter which completes the classic LRVB exposures. 
This is a galaxy that I had not yet had the opportunity to photograph and one of the difficulties in processing is to highlight these nebulae without distorting the balance of luminosity: to underline their presence while resisting the temptation of excess :-)

Merry christmas and clear skies to all!

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M33, Mathieu Guinot

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