The iconic Triangulum Galaxy, M33, is located 3 million lightyears from Earth in the Triangulum constellation, and is a fellow member of our Local Group of galaxies.
Measuring just 60,000 lightyears across – compared to the 200,000 lightyear and 100,000 lightyear diameters of the Andromeda Galaxy and the Milky Way, respectively – the Triangulum Galaxy is the Local Group’s third largest galaxy.
An image of the Triangulum Galaxy captured by the Hubble Space Telescope. Credit:
NASA, ESA, and M. Durbin, J. Dalcanton, and B. F. Williams (University of Washington)
The galaxy’s distinct spiral structure suggests it has existed largely unperturbed by gravitational interactions with other galaxies, but astronomers believe that its proximity to our home galaxy means it could well be on a collision course, and may end up becoming a third party in the predicted Andromeda-Milky Way collision over 4 billion years from now.
For now, it is a stunning galactic specimen and one of the most famous galaxies in the Messier Catalogue.
It is also on our list of the best galaxies to observe in the night sky.
The Triangulum Galaxy, as seen by the Very Large Telescope. Credit: ESO
The Triangulum Galaxy’s bright blue arms indicate the presence of scorching hot new young stars and that this is a galaxy undergoing rapid star formation: potentially a mass equivalent to that of our Sun being produced every two years.
Below are images of the Triangulum Galaxy captured by BBC Sky at Night Magazine readers and astrophotographers from around the world.
For more information about photographing galaxies, read our guides to deep-sky astrophotography and deep-sky image processing.
And don’t forget to send us your images or share them with us via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Triangulum Galaxy by David Wills, PixelSkies, Spain, November 2019. Equipment: Starlight Xpress Trius PRO 694 Mono CCD Camera, Tec 140 F7 triplet apo refractor, iOptron CEM60 Go-To mount
Triangulum Galaxy by Mukund Raguram, California, USA, 1 & 2 November 2019. Equipment: ZWO ASI 1600MM mono camera, Explore Scientific ED127 apo refractor, EQ6-R Pro mount
M33, The Triangulum Galaxy Andrea Maggi, Vicenza, Italy, 20 November 2019. Equipment: ZWO ASI 294MC Pro colour camera, ARTEC 200 Lite Artesky astrograph, Sky-Watcher EQ8 mount
The Triangulum Galaxy by Emil Andronic, Bushey, August 2018 and September 2020. Equipment: Canon 600D DSLR, ZWO ASI 294MC Pro camera, TS65 quadruplet f6.5 imaging telescope, Sky-Watcher EQ3 mount
M33 by Brian.M.Johnson, Kelling Heath, UK. Equipment: Teleview NP127, Stella Cam 3, Analogue Video
M33 by Brian.M.Johnson, Kelling Heath, UK. Equipment: Teleview NP127, Stella Cam 3, Analogue Video
M33 by Andrew Jensen, Stowmarket, Suffolk, UK. Equipment: Skywatcher 120mm ED Refractor, NEQ6 Mount, Atik 314l.
Galaxy M33 the pinwheel by Brian S Parker, Acrefair North Wales, UK. Equipment: 200mm Skywatcher Canon D500, NEQ6 Pro.
M33 by Jim Mehta, Orpington, Kent, UK. Equipment: Meade 127 refractor, QSI 583 mono camera, iOptron IEQ45 mount with TDM.
Triangulum Galaxy by Graham Green, Waterlooville, Hampshire, UK. Equipment: Canon EOS 600D DSLR camera, William Optics Megrez 3.5-inch refractor, Sky-Watcher NEQ6 Pro mount.
M33 by Bill McSorley, Leeds, UK. Equipment: SW150P, EQ5 Mount, QHY8L OSC camera.
M33 by Andrew Laing, Northamptonshire, UK. Equipment: Skywatcher 200p, HEQ5, QHY5 guider on a ST80, Modded Canon 1000d
M33 Triangulum Galaxy by Ian Russell, Sutton Courtenay, Oxfordshire, UK. Equipment: TS90 APO, CG-5 mount, Atik 460ex mono, Atik OAG, QHY IMG0H, PHD.
M33 Triangulum Galaxy by Ian Russell, Sutton Courtenay, Oxfordshire, UK. Equipment: TS90 APO, CG-5 mount, Atik 460ex mono, Atik OAG, QHY IMG0H, PHD.
M33 Triangulum Galaxy by Simon Hollingdale, East Sussex, UK. Equipment: TS Optics 10″ f4 Newtonian, ASA 0.7 reducer, Atik 314L CCD, NEQ6 mount.
M33 – The Triangulum Galaxy by Matt Foyle, Derbyshire, UK. Equipment: FSQ106ED, NEQ6pro, QHY9m, Baader Filters, Orion mini guider, QHY5m, ST4 port.
M33 Hyperstar/TEC combination by André van der Hoeven/Michael van Doorn, The Netherlands. Equipment: TEC-140@f7, QSI-583ws, Hyperstar C11@f2, SXVR-H18
M33 The Triangulum Galaxy by Andy OConnor, Horncastle, UK. Equipment: Atik 314L+, Skywatcher ED80 pro with 0.85 focal reducer, Atik EF Wheel 2, Baader L and RGB filters.
M33 – The Triangulum Galaxy by Bill McSorley, Leeds, UK. Equipment: SW 150P Newtonian, EQ5 GoTo Mount, QHY8L cooled ccd.
Triangulum Galaxy by Jaspal Chadha, Stratford, London, UK. Equipment: Skywatcher EQ6, GT mount, QHY8L colour CCD.
M33 – Triangulum Galaxy by Alastair Woodward, Derby, UK. Equipment: Skywatcher 6″ Newtonian, EQ3-2, Unmodded Canon 1000d, CLS clip filter
Triangulum Galaxy (M33) by Trevor Nicholls, Chelsmford, UK. Equipment: Celestron EdgeHD 8″, QHY8L, HuTech IDAS P2 LP filter, Lodestar X2, OVL OAG, Optron iEQ45 mount.
M33, Triangulum Galaxy by Scott Findlay, France. Equipment: 12″ ASA Newtonian, FLI Microline ML 8300, ASA DDM85
Triangulum Galaxy M33 by LaDonna Sears-Thomas, Worcestershire, UK. Equipment: Skywatcher ED80 DS Pro, Skywatcher Synscan HEQ5 Pro, Canon 500D.
Messier 33 by Roger Brooker, Kelling Heath, UK. Equipment: Ts65q, SXVh9, Baader LRGB, EQ6 Pro via eqmod, Ts9mm OAG, Qhy5.
M33 in HaLRGB by Chris Heapy, Macclesfield, UK. Equipment: TeleVue NP127is, Losmandy G11 equatorial mount, TV Pronto, SX Lodestar, Atik 490EX.
M33 in narrow-band HST by Chris Heapy, Macclesfield, UK. Equipment: TeleVue NP127is, Losmandy G11 equatorial mount, TV Pronto, SX Lodestar, Atik 490EX.
M33 Triangulum Galaxy by Mark Griffith, Swindon, Wiltshire, UK. Equipment: Teleskop service 8″ Boren simon power newtonian, Skywatcher NEQ6 pro mount,Atik 383L+ camera, motorised filter wheel and Astronomik filters.
M33 by Chris Price, Cedartown GA, USA. Equipment: SkyWatcher Pro 100 Ed APO, Celestron CG-5 Advanced GT mount, Canon T3i.
M33 (The Triangulum Galaxy) by Trevor Nicholls, Chelmsford, UK. Equipment: TS65 quad APO, iOptron iEQ45 Mount, QHY8L OSC, Hutech IDAS LP filter, OAG, Lodestar X2.
M33 by Chris Duffy, Consett, UK. Equipment: Skywatcher 130PDS F5 Newtonian, EQ5 Pro goto mount, Unmodified Canon 1100d, ASI120MC, 50mm “finder guider”.
M33 – The Triangulum Galaxy (Collaboration) by Callum Hayton, Southern France & Matthew Foyle, UK. Equipment: Takahashi FSQ106ED, QHY9M cooled to -20, NEQ6 Belt Modded, Altair Astro 115EDT, Canon 1100D, Canon 600Da, NEQ6.
M33 Triangulum Galaxy by Mark Large, Colchester, UK. Equipment: Altair Astro 10″ RCT,a modified Canon EOS 1000D
M33 – The Triangulum Galaxy by Gavin James, Marlborough, UK. Equipment: Skywatcher 80ED, QSI 683-WSG.
M33, The Triangulum Galaxy by David Moreno, Spain. Equipment: 150/750 Newton f5, AZ EQ6, EZG 60, ccd qhy5II, Canon 550d.
M33 – no stars, just the nebulae (HST palette) by Chris Heapy, Macclesfield, UK. Equipment: Televue NP127is, Atik 490EX, Astrodon 3nM (Ha, OIII, SII), Losmandy G11,TV Pronto, Lodestar.
M33 LRGB by Chris Heapy, Macclesfield, UK. Equipment: Televue NP127is refractor, Atik490EX, 10-Micron GM2000HPS, Baader LRGB.
M33 – The Triangulum Galaxy by Álvaro Ibáñez Pérez, Las Inviernas, Guadalajara, Spain. Equipment: Lunático EZG-60,+ SXLodestar, RoboFocus, FocusMax, Baader LRGB, IDAS LPS filters.
M33 The Triangulum Galaxy by Ralph Smyth, Lisburn, County Antrim. Equipment: Skywatcher ED80 Refractor, focal reducer, modified Canon 1000D, Light Pollution Filter, HEQ5PRO mount.
M33 Triangulum Galaxy by Mark Griffith, Swindon, Wiltshire, UK. Equipment: Teleskop service 12″ Richey-Chretien telescope, Skywatcher EQ8 mount,Atik 383L+ camera, Astronomik LRGB filters, Hutech IDAS light pollution filter, Astro physics 0.67 reducer.
Messier33 by Roger Brooker, Seasalter, Kent, UK. Equipment: W/O 110mm Triplet @ f5.6, Sx694 + Baader Filters.
M33 Triangulum Galaxy by Mark Griffith, Swindon, Wilthire, UK. Equipment: Teleskop service 12″ Richey-Chretien telescope, Skywatcher EQ8 mount,Atik 383L+ camera, Astronomik LRGB filters, Hutech IDAS light pollution filter, Astro physics 0.67 reducer.
M33 Triangulum Galaxy by Gary Opitz, Rochester, New York, USA. Equipment: Telescope Engineering Company 140 mm APO Telescope at f/7, ZWO ASI1600MC-C camera, Orion Atlas Mount, Orion Starshoot Guide Camera, Orion 80 mm Short tube Guiding refractor.
M33 – The Triangulum Galaxy by Daniel Cameron, Patna, East Ayrshire, UK. Equipment: Celestron Edge HD 8″ SCT, Canon EOS 60Da, NEQ6 Mount.
M33 – Triangulum Galaxy by Simon Todd, Haywards Heath, UK. Equipment: Sky-Watcher EQ8 Pro, Sky-Watcher Quattro 8-CF @ F4mAtik Cameras 383L+ Mono Cooled to -20C, Celestron Telescopes C80ED, Qhyccd QHY5L-II, Starlight Xpress Ltd 7x36mm unmounted USB Filter Wheel, Baader Planetarium 36mm LRGB + 7nm HA.
The Triangulum Galaxy by David Slack, Prudhoe, Northumberland, UK. Equipment: Orion ED80 refractor, Altair Astro 0.6 focal reducer, SXV-H9 CCD, ZWO RGB filters, Astronomik CLS filter, Baader 7nm Ha filter, HEQ5 pro and a finder guider.
Jose Manuel Perez Redondo, Lleida, Catalunya, Spain. Equipment: Borg 76 ED, Canon EOS 400D filter out and cooled, Synta SkyWatcher EQ6, Lunatico Astronomia EZG6, Meade DSI II BW, Borg x 0.85
M33 – The Triangulum Galaxy by Graeme Coates, West Oxfordshire, UK. Equipment: William Optics FLT110 (with focal reducer), Losmandy Titan, SBIG ST2000XM.
M33 in LHaRGB Widefield by Álvaro Ibáñez Pérez, Madrid, Spain. Equipment: Takahashi FSQ106EDX, Takahashi EM400 Temma2, CCD Atik 460EX mono, Baader LRGB-Ha, SX USB Filter Wheel 1,25″, Lunático EZG-60 + SXLodestar, RoboFocus, MaximDL, AstroMatic (ftorrev).
The Triangulum Galaxy by David Slack, Prudhoe, Northumberland, UK. Equipment: Celestron 8″ reflecting telescope, Starlight-Xpress H9 Mono CCD camera, Skywatcher HEQ5 pro mount, ZWO RGB filters, ZWO ASI 120mm based finder guider.
M33 Triangulum Galaxy by Alec Alden, Colchester, UK. Equipment: ED80, Atik383, ED120, ASI1600.
M33 Triangulum Galaxy by Chris Duffy, Battlesteads, Wark, Northumberland, UK. Equipment: Skywatcher 130Pds Newtonian, Skywatcher EQ6 mount, Astro modified Canon 1000d, Skywatcher coma corrector, ZWO-ASI120mc, 50mm finder guider.
M33 Triangulum by Mike Johnston, Chorley, UK. Equipment: Canon 1100D, Skywatcher 200p, NEQ6 Pro, QHY5L-M guide camera.
M33 – Triangulum Galaxy by David Slack, Prudhoe, UK. Equipment: 8″ Celestron reflector, SXV-H9 mono ccd camera, ZWO LRGB filters, ZWO ASI 120mm based finder guider on SW HEQ5 pro mount
