• Key Information

  • Triangulum Galaxy

  • Type
    Galaxy (spiral)
  • Diameter
    61,100 light years
  • Distance
    3,200,000 light years
  • Total Stars
    About 40 billion
  • Date of Discovery
    Giovanni Battista Hodierna, before 1654
  • Other Names
    Messier 33 (M33) and NGC 598
  • Learning Point
  • The Triangulum Galaxy is the third largest galaxy in the Local Group, and is the smallest of the spiral galaxies in our vicinity. It may be a satellite of the Andromeda Galaxy, or passing close to it because of its past interactions with it.
  • Project
  • Identify the six biggest galaxies in our Local Group of galaxies. How does the Triangulum Galaxy compare to them?
  • Location
  • Located in
    Triangulum (M33), inside the Local Group
  • Fun Facts
  • The galaxy gets its name from the constellation Triangulum, where it can be spotted.
  • It is the most distant object that can be seen with the eye while not using telescopes or binoculars.
  • The galaxy has no supermassive black hole, which may be because it is more or less flat, and galaxies only seem to have them if they have a bulge in the centre.
  • Many globular clusters and even planetary nebulae have been found within the galaxy.