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The Triangulum Emission Nebula - NGC 604

Located 2.7 million light-years away in the constellation Triangulum lies the massive nebula known as NGC 604. Though such nebulae are common in galaxies, this one is particularly large, nearly 1,500 light-years across, and it dominates a portion of galaxy M33’s spiral arm. Nebula NGC 604 is also an area of intense star formation. At the heart of the nebula there are over 200 hot stars, most are more massive than our Sun with the largest being up to 60 times the size of our sun. By analyzing structure of this giant nebula, astronomers may determine how clusters of massive stars affect the evolution of the interstellar medium of the galaxy. The nebula also yields clues to its star formation history and will improve understanding of the starburst process when a galaxy undergoes a “firestorm” of star formation.