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 The Triangulum Galaxy, Dale A Chamberlain
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M33 The Triangulum Galaxy

Acquisition type: Electronically-Assisted Astronomy (EAA, e.g. based on a live video feed)
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M33 The Triangulum Galaxy, Dale A Chamberlain
Powered byPixInsight

M33 The Triangulum Galaxy

Acquisition type: Electronically-Assisted Astronomy (EAA, e.g. based on a live video feed)

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Description

The Triangulum Galaxy is a spiral galaxy 2.73 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Triangulum. It is cataloged as Messier 33 or NGC 598. The Triangulum Galaxy is the third-largest member of the Local Group of galaxies, behind the Milky Way and the Andromeda Galaxy. It is one of the most distant permanent objects that can be viewed with the naked eye.

The galaxy is the smallest spiral galaxy in the Local Group and it is believed to be a satellite of the Andromeda Galaxy due to their interactions, velocities, and proximity to one another in the night sky. The galaxy gets its name from the constellation Triangulum, where it can be spotted.

The Triangulum Galaxy is sometimes informally referred to as the "Pinwheel Galaxy" by some amateur astronomy references, in some computerized telescope software, and in some public outreach websites.

With a diameter of about 60,000 light-years, the Triangulum galaxy is the third-largest member of the Local Group of galaxies, roughly 60% the size of the Milky Way. It may be a gravitationally bound companion of the Andromeda Galaxy. Triangulum may be home to 40 billion stars, compared to 400 billion for the Milky Way, and 1 trillion stars for Andromeda Galaxy.

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M33 The Triangulum Galaxy, Dale A Chamberlain

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