M 33 is a member of the "local group" of galaxies, one of only 3 spiral galaxies
in the group (along with our Milky Way galaxy and M 31). With good eyesight
and exceptionally dark skies, it can be seen with the naked eye, and
appears more than twice the size of the full moon. In reality, M 33 is 50,000
light years across, about half the size of our Milky Way galaxy. It is in the
constellation Triangulum, and is quite close to us, as galaxies go, about
3 million light years away (and, unlike most galaxies, M 33 is getting close
to the Milky Way, by about 15 miles each second). In this classic spiral galaxy,
you can see numerous lanes of gas and dust, the building blocks of future stars.
You can also see many reddish emission nebulae in its arms, areas which are forming
new stars. The most obvious obvious one of these is in the upper center part of the
image. This region, which has its own designation as NGC 604, is similar to the Orion
Nebula in that it is a nursery of new stars (some 200 of them!), but this nebula is
1500 light years across, making it one of the largest known anywhere. Along the arms of
the galaxy you will also see blue knots of new star clusters.

Image Data:
Telescope: Hyperion 12.5"
Camera: SBIG STL-11000
Exposure: 8.5 hours (2 hours Lum, 2 hours hydrogen-alpha, 4.5 hours RGB)