#ngc598

Excitation in the middle of M33

This image of the central region of the Triangulum Galaxy, M33, was taken in October 2000 with the Mayall 4-meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory, using the Mosaic imager. It shows data from three of the eight color filters being used by the Local Group Galaxies Survey Team to study this nearby spiral galaxy, the third largest in our Local Group, behind the Milky Way and the Andromeda Galaxy.

The colors illustrate the excitation levels and abundance patterns in the galaxy's HII regions.  The color blue shows [OIII] (doubly ionized oxygen), green shows visible light, and red denotes H alpha (ionized hydrogen). 

credit line: P.Massey (Lowell), N.King (STScI), S.Holmes (Charleston), G.Jacoby (WIYN)/AURA/NSF 

M33, NGC598

The Triangulum Galaxy, M33, a type Sc spiral, was imaged by the KPNO 4-meter Mayall telescope in 1975.  A member of our Local Group of galaxies, it is just visible with the naked eye. 

Panorama of Spiral Galaxy, M33

This image was created with data from the Local Group Survey, completed with the Mosaic camera on the Mayall 4-meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory.  M31, M33 and our Milky Way are the three largest members of the Local Group of galaxies.  M33 is a spiral galaxy that is about ten times smaller than our own. Three 'pointings' of the camera along the galaxy in five filters were used to make the image.  The image was generated with observations with the U (violet), B (blue), V (cyan), I (orange) and H-alpha (red) filters.  The five filters show the star colors and HII star forming regions in vivid detail.  In this image, North is up, East is to the left. 

credit line: Local Group Survey Team and T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage) 

NOAO

M33, NGC598

This true color picture was taken using Ektachrome film at the prime focus of the Kitt Peak 4m telescope on October 3rd 1973. This is unusual: normally color images are made by combining black and white images taken through different colored filters. Due to reciprocity failure during the quite long exposure needed, the image is slightly bluer than it should be. 

credit line: Bill Schoening/NOAO/AURA/NSF

Die M33-Galaxie, auch bekannt als Messier 33, NGC 598, Triangulum-Galaxie oder Dreiecksnebel-Galaxie, ist eine Spiralgalaxie in etwa 2,7 bis 3 Millionen Lichtjahren Entfernung. Sie befindet sich im Sternbild Triangulum und gilt als das drittgrößte Mitglied der Lokalen Gruppe, zu der auch die Milchstraße und die Andromeda-Galaxie gehören. Mit einem Durchmesser von rund 50.000 bis 60.000 Lichtjahren ist sie kleiner als die Milchstraße, besitzt aber dennoch etwa 40 Milliarden Sterne.