Triangulum Galaxy (M33)
A spiral galaxy that is the third-largest member of the Local Group. Visible under exceptionally dark skies with the naked eye, and a good binocular target.
Galaxy in Triangulum. Magnitude 5.7.
Can you see it from Guyana?
From Georgetown (6.8° N) it climbs to 66° above the northern horizon at its highest; from Lethem (3.4° N), to 63° above the northern horizon. It is highest at midnight on the night of 12 Oct, in the middle of its season. The page works out tonight's rise, highest point and set for both towns in Guyana time (UTC-4), and where the Moon is.
What you'll see
- Your eyes: Only from a very dark site, as a large, faint glow; invisible from towns.
- 10x50 binoculars: A faint smudge from a dark site.
- A small telescope (80 to 100 mm): Faint and diffuse: use low power from a dark site; binoculars often show it better.
- A camera: Spans about 40% of an APS-C frame at 500 mm (field 2.7° × 1.8°); needs a tracking mount.
How big, how bright, how far
- Size on the sky: 62′ × 39′, 2.0 Moons across (the Moon is about 31′ wide).
- Brightness: magnitude 5.7. Fainter than Georgetown's faintest stars (4.3) but brighter than Lethem's (6.0).
- Distance: 2.7 million light-years. The light reaching your eye left it about 2.7 million years ago.
What it is made of
- Type
- Galaxy
- Distance
- Approx. 2.73 million Lightyears
- True size
- Approx. 60,000 Lightyears diameter
- Spiral Arms: Rich in HII regions, multiple star clusters
- Central Core: Modest bulge, older stars
- Dark Matter Halo: Exerts gravitational influence
More deep-sky objects: Andromeda Galaxy (M31) · M74 (Phantom Galaxy) · NGC 891 (Edge-on Galaxy) · M77 (Cetus A) · Sculptor Galaxy (NGC 253) · NGC 2403 (Galaxy)