The Triangulum Galaxy is a spiral galaxy 2.73Â million light-years (ly) from Earth in the constellation Triangulum. It is catalogued as Messier 33 or NGC (New General Catalogue) 598. With the D25 isophotal diameter of 18.74 kiloparsecs (61,100 light-years), the Triangulum Galaxy is the third-largest member of the Local Group of galaxies, behind the Andromeda Galaxy and the Milky Way.
Galaxy Messier 33 in Triangulum (the Triangulum Galaxy)
NGC 604 in the Triangulum Galaxy
Composite of about 54 different pointings with Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys
Infrared image of M33 taken with the Spitzer Space Telescope
Spiral galaxies form a class of galaxy originally described by Edwin Hubble in his 1936 work The Realm of the Nebulae and, as such, form part of the Hubble sequence. Most spiral galaxies consist of a flat, rotating disk containing stars, gas and dust, and a central concentration of stars known as the bulge. These are often surrounded by a much fainter halo of stars, many of which reside in globular clusters.
An example of a spiral galaxy, the Messier 77 (also known as NGC 1068)
Tuning-fork-style diagram of the Hubble sequence
Barred spiral galaxy UGC 12158
NGC 1300 in infrared light