Messier 33

Messier 33, also called the "Triangulum Galaxy" or "Triangulum Pinwheel," is located in the Triangulum constellation. It is barely visible to the naked eye in clear, dark skies. It appears as a circular fuzzy patch in a small telescope.

M33 is part of the Local Group, which is the group of at least 30 or so galaxies that include our Milky Way and the Andromeda Galaxy. It is located about 3 million light years away, which is relatively close in a galactic sense. It's proximity makes it an ideal target for study by astronomers.

This image is composed of 21 2-minute sub-frames taken by a Canon EOS Rebel XS with the ST80 on a Vixen SP mount.

Messier 33, The Triangulum Galaxy