The iconic Triangulum Galaxy, M33, is located 3 million lightyears from Earth in the Triangulum constellation, and is a fellow member of our Local Group of galaxies.
Measuring just 60,000 lightyears across the Triangulum Galaxy is the Local Group’s third largest galaxy.
That's compared to the 200,000 lightyear and 100,000 lightyear diameters of the Andromeda Galaxy and the Milky Way, respectively.
An image of the Triangulum Galaxy captured by the Hubble Space Telescope. Credit:NASA, ESA, and M. Durbin, J. Dalcanton, and B. F. Williams (University of Washington)
The Triangulum Galaxy's distinct spiral structure suggests it has existed largely unperturbed by gravitational interactions with other galaxies.
But astronomers believe that its proximity to our home galaxy means it could well be on a collision course, and may end up becoming a third party in the predicted Andromeda-Milky Way collision over 4 billion years from now.
For now, it is a stunning galactic specimen and one of the most famous galaxies in the Messier Catalogue.
The Triangulum Galaxy, as seen by the Very Large Telescope. Credit: ESO
The Triangulum Galaxy's bright blue arms indicate the presence of scorching hot new young stars and that this is a galaxy undergoing rapid star formation: potentially a mass equivalent to that of our Sun being produced every two years.
Below are images of the Triangulum Galaxy captured by BBC Sky at Night Magazine readers and astrophotographers from around the world.
How to locate and observe the Triangulum Galaxy.
Use the Great Square of Pegasus or the Andromeda Galaxy to help you find the Triangulum constellation and the Triangulum Galaxy.
If you want to find and observe the Triangulum Galaxy through your telescope, you'll need to find the Triangulum constellation first.
You can use the chart above to help you.
The Triangulum Galaxy is listed at mag. +5.7, but it can be a tricky target to see as its surface brightness is quite low.
To find the Triangulum Galaxy, extend a line from M31, the Andromeda Galaxy, through star Mirach for the same distance again.
A small telescope under dark skies will show the galaxy's core as a misty smudge.
A 250mm scope shows a mottled patchwork of dim light surrounding the core.
M33, the Triangulum Galaxy
Bert Moyaers, Kampenhout, Belgium, 10-11 August 2023
Equipment: ZWO ASI533MC Pro colour CMOS camera, TS-Optics Photon f/5 Newtonian reflector, Explore Scientific EXOS-2 PMC-Eight mount
The Triangulum galaxy
Nigel Arnold, York, UK, 16-20 January 2023
Equipment: ZWO 2600MC OSC camera, Altair Astro 130 EDT-F refractor, Sky-Watcher AZ-EQ6 mount
The Triangulum Galaxy (M33), Roger Allpress, Whittlesey, Cambridgeshire, October 28 2022.
Equipment: Altair Hypercam 269C Pro Tec camera, Starwave Ascent APO telescope, Ioptron GEM28 mount
Triangulum Galaxy
Aidan Guerra, Vacaville, California, 31 August 2022, 2 September 2022
Equipment: Stellarvue SV70T Triplet Refractor, ZWO ASI533MC-P camera, Celestron AVX mount
The Triangulum Galaxy
Catalin Daniel Cosar, Henlow, Bedfordshire, 30, 31 October, 1 November 2021
Equipment: QHY 268C camera, QHY 268M camera, Takahashi FSQ-85EDX refractor, Sky-Watcher EQ8 Pro mount
James Webb Space Telescope NIRCam image of NGC 604 in the Triangulum Galaxy. Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI
The bright orange streaks in this image signify the presence of carbon-based molecules known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs. As you travel further from the immediate cavities of dust where the star is forming, the deeper red signifies molecular hydrogen. This cooler gas is a prime environment for star formation. Ionized hydrogen from ultraviolet radiation from appears as a white and blue ghostly glow.
NGC 604 is located in the Triangulum galaxy (M33), 2.73 million light-years away from Earth. It provides an opportunity for astronomers to study a high concentration of very young, massive stars in a nearby region.
James Webb Space Telescope MIRI image of NGC 604 in the Triangulum Galaxy. Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI
In the MIRI view of NGC 604, there are noticeably fewer stars than Webb’s NIRCam image. This is because hot stars emit much less light at these wavelengths. Some of the stars seen in this image are red supergiants—stars that are cool but very large, hundreds of times the diameter of our Sun. The blue tendrils of material signify the presence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs.
The Triangulum Galaxy, as seen by the Very Large Telescope. Credit: ESO
The Nebulae of the Triangulum Galaxy, by Russell Croman (USA). Runner up, Galaxies. Mayhill, New Mexico, USA, 6 December 2020–11 February 2021. Equipment: Takahashi FSQ106 EDX4 530 mm telescope at f/5 and PlaneWave 14" CDK 2543 mm telescope at f/7.2, Chroma filters, Software Bisque Paramount MX and Paramount ME-II mounts.
The Triangulum Galaxy
Emil Andronic, Bushey, August 2018 and September 2020
Equipment: Canon 600D DSLR, ZWO ASI 294MC Pro camera, TS65 quadruplet f6.5 imaging telescope, Sky-Watcher EQ3 mount
14 - Triangulum Galaxy
David Wills, PixelSkies, Spain, November 2019
Equipment: Starlight Xpress Trius PRO 694 Mono CCD Camera, Tec 140 F7 triplet apo refractor, iOptron CEM60 Go-To mount
The Triangulum Galaxy
Alec Alden, Colchester, 17, 18, 24, 25 November 2017
Equipment: Atik 383L mono CCD camera and Sky-Watcher Evostar 80ED refractor, ASI1600MM mono camera and Sky-Watcher 120ED Equinox refractor.
M33 - The Triangulum Galaxy by Álvaro Ibáñez Pérez, Las Inviernas, Guadalajara, Spain. Equipment: Lunático EZG-60, SXLodestar, RoboFocus, FocusMax, Baader LRGB, IDAS LPS filters.
M33 Triangulum Galaxy by Mark Griffith, Swindon, Wiltshire, UK. Equipment: Teleskop service 12" Richey-Chretien telescope, Skywatcher EQ8 mount,Atik 383L camera, Astronomik LRGB filters, Hutech IDAS light pollution filter, Astro physics 0.67 reducer.
M33, The Triangulum Galaxy by David Moreno, Spain. Equipment: 150/750 Newton f5, AZ EQ6, EZG 60, ccd qhy5II, Canon 550d.
Messier 33 by Roger Brooker, Kelling Heath, UK. Equipment: Ts65q, SXVh9, Baader LRGB, EQ6 Pro via eqmod, Ts9mm OAG, Qhy5.
M33 The Triangulum Galaxy by Andy OConnor, Horncastle, UK. Equipment: Atik 314L , Skywatcher ED80 pro with 0.85 focal reducer, Atik EF Wheel 2, Baader L and RGB filters.
M33 by Bill McSorley, Leeds, UK. Equipment: SW150P, EQ5 Mount, QHY8L OSC camera.
M33 - Triangulum Galaxy by Simon Todd, Haywards Heath, UK. Equipment: Sky-Watcher EQ8 Pro, Sky-Watcher Quattro 8-CF @ F4mAtik Cameras 383L Mono Cooled to -20C, Celestron Telescopes C80ED, Qhyccd QHY5L-II, Starlight Xpress Ltd 7x36mm unmounted USB Filter Wheel, Baader Planetarium 36mm LRGB 7nm HA.
M33 Triangulum Galaxy by Chris Duffy, Battlesteads, Wark, Northumberland, UK. Equipment: Skywatcher 130Pds Newtonian, Skywatcher EQ6 mount, Astro modified Canon 1000d, Skywatcher coma corrector, ZWO-ASI120mc, 50mm finder guider.
Simon Todd, Haywards Heath, 28 November 2016
Simon says: “I chose M33 as a target because I have always had challenges in the past when attempting to image it. It’s not as bright as some of the other galaxies but there’s a lot of detail in there; you just have to get a decent number of exposures.”
Equipment: Atik 383L CCD camera, Sky-Watcher Quattro-8CF imaging Newtonian, Sky-Watcher EQ8 Pro SynScan mount
Triangulum Galaxy, Gary Opitz, Rochester NY, US, 6 October 2016. Equipment: ZWO ASI 1600MC cooled camera, Telescope Engineering Company APO140 ED refractor, Orion Atlas mount.
M33: The Triangulum Galaxy Rui Liao (China). Category: Galaxies. Equipment: GSO RC8 telescope at f/5.4 (with CCDT67 focal reducer), Sky-Watcher EQ8 mount, Atik One 6.0 camera, Ha-L-RGB composite, 26.5 hours total exposure.
An image of the Triangulum Galaxy captured by the Hubble Space Telescope. Credit:
NASA, ESA, and M. Durbin, J. Dalcanton, and B. F. Williams (University of Washington)
Triangulum Galaxy
Mukund Raguram, California, USA, 1 & 2 November 2019
Equipment: ZWO ASI 1600MM mono camera, Explore Scientific ED127 apo refractor, EQ6-R Pro mount
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