08/27/2025
Messier 33, the Triangulum Galaxy
A face-on spiral in our Local Group about 2.7 to 3 million light years away and roughly 60,000 light years across(60% the size of the Milky Way). Close enough that we can pick out its star factories across an entire galaxy.
The bright knot on the outer arm is NGC 604, a giant H II region about 1,500 light years wide and thousands of times brighter than the Orion Nebula. Near the core sits NGC 595, another massive H II complex. Scattered around the disk are smaller star-forming regions labeled in this frame, including NGC 588, NGC 592, and the IC 131 to IC 137 group.
Captured at Cherry Springs State Park on July 24, 2025.
Canon 6D | William Optics ZenithStar 61II | Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer 2i | 137 × 43.4s, ISO 3200 (1h 39m 5.8s total integration) | Stacked in DeepSkyStacker | Edited in Photoshop and StarNet++
