The Triangulum Galaxy, also known as Messier 33 or NGC 59, is a medium-sized galaxy in the constellation Triangulum, visible to the naked eye in very dark skies. It is a member of the Local Group and has a “twist factor” similar to the Milky Way. Triangulum has a notable H II region and may be a companion of Andromeda.
The Triangulum Galaxy is a medium-sized galaxy located about 3 million light-years away in the constellation Triangulum, the Triangle. It is the most distant object visible to the naked eye and can only be seen in very dark skies. Also called Messier 33 or NGC 59, Triangulum is sometimes incorrectly referred to as the Pinwheel Galaxy, but another larger galaxy already bears this name. Triangulum is sometimes confused with NGC 752, a nearby open cluster that is brighter from our vantage point.
Triangulum’s arms at most extend only about half a circle around the galaxy, giving the arms a “twist factor” similar to those of the Milky Way. Triangulum is a member of the Local Group of gravitationally bound galaxies, the largest of which are the Milky Way and the Andromeda Galaxy. The nearby Pisces dwarf galaxy may be a satellite galaxy of Triangulum, and Triangulum itself may be a gravitationally bound companion of Andromeda. Of a couple of dozen galaxies in the Local Group, Triangulum, the Milky Way and the Andromeda Galaxy are the only three spiral galaxies. Triangulum is closer to Andromeda than to the Milky Way, being separated from the latter by only about a million light-years.
Although the Triangulum Galaxy is visible to the unaided eye under ideal conditions, no pre-telescopic observer notices its existence. This could be because galaxies tend to be fuzzier and more indistinct than stars and planets, not to mention much less bright.
The Triangulum galaxy is notable for having one of the most fantastic H II regions of any known galaxy, 1500 light-years in diameter. An H II region is a large cloud of ionized gas that serves as a stellar nursery. Stars are created in dense portions of H II regions called Bok globules, named after the astronomer who first theorized that they were the birthplaces of stars.
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