Triangulum Galaxy Facts

The Triangulum Galaxy, also known as M33, is one of the closest spiral galaxies to the Milky Way. It lies 3 million light-years away, in the constellation Triangulum. The closest spiral is the Andromeda Galaxy, at a distance of 2.5 million light-years. All three are members of the Local Group, a collection of about 50 galaxies in our neighbourhood of space.



Galaxy Profile
Designation: M33, NGC 598
Type: Spiral
Distance from Milky Way: 3 million light-years
Diameter: 60,000 light-years
Mass: 100 billion solar masses
Number of stars: 40 billion stars

Facts About The Triangulum Galaxy

• The Triangulum Galaxy is formally described as a spiral galaxy with a weak (or possibly no)               central bar and its loosely wound arms emanate from the galactic core.

• The core of the Triangulum Galaxy is a nebula – a cloud of gas and dust – called an HII region.           Areas such as this are prime regions for star formation.

• The Triangulum Galaxy is actively making stars. Its starbirth regions scattered throughout its               spiral arms. Its starbirth rate is several times more than the Andromeda Galaxy.

• Andromeda and the Triangulum Galaxy are linked by streams of hydrogen gas and embedded             stars. The two galaxies may have had a close interaction in the past and it looks as if they will do         so again in about 2.5 billion years.

• Astronomers think that a future merger between Andromeda and the Milky Way will also affect         the Triangulum Galaxy, perhaps tearing it apart or cannibalizing it into a larger elliptical galaxy.

• Some observers claim that under very dark skies, this galaxy can be seen with the naked eye.               However, it is more easily spotted with binoculars or a telescope.