Destined to Collide

The Triangulum Galaxy, otherwise known as Messier 33, lies almost 3 million light-years from Earth, and is a near neighbor of the Andromeda Galaxy. The galaxy is imaged here by the Nicholas U. Mayall 4-meter Telescope, located at Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), a Program of NSF’s NOIRLab. 

The Triangulum Galaxy is the third-largest member of the Local Group, a cluster of galaxies that includes our Milky Way and its closest neighbors. The Andromeda Galaxy is the largest member. The Triangulum Galaxy and Andromeda Galaxy have history together, but astronomers are still investigating the details. Their close proximity has caused some researchers to suggest that Triangulum is a satellite of the Andromeda Galaxy, not unlike the way the Moon is a satellite of the Earth — just on a much, much bigger scale. Alternatively, some researchers propose that these two galaxies may be independent and have simply brushed past each other, as evidenced by streams of stars and neutral hydrogen gas linking the two galaxies. However they have interacted, it’s probable that they will dramatically collide in 2.5 billion years, resulting in their consolidation and eventual evolution into a lenticular galaxy.

Credit:

KPNO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA

Data obtained and processed by: P. Massey (Lowell Obs.), G. Jacoby, K. Olsen, & C. Smith (AURA/NSF) 

Image processing: M. Zamani (NSF’s NOIRLab), A. Hussein (NSF’s NOIRLab) & D. de Martin (NSF’s NOIRLab)

About the Image

Id:iotw2233a
Type:Observation
Release date:Aug. 17, 2022, noon
Size:7968 x 7899 px

About the Object

Name:M33
Constellation:Triangulum
Category:Galaxies

Image Formats

Large JPEGLarge JPEG
32.3 MB
Screensize JPEGScreensize JPEG
569.8 KB

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Coordinates

ObjectValue
Position (RA):1 33 49.11
Position (Dec):30° 40' 9.93"
Field of view:35.90 x 35.59 arcminutes
Orientation:North is 89.9° right of vertical


Colors & filters

BandWave-lengthTele-scope
Optical
U
357 nmNicholas U. Mayall 4-meter Telescope
Mosaic I
Optical
B
436 nmNicholas U. Mayall 4-meter Telescope
Mosaic I
Optical
O III
499 nmNicholas U. Mayall 4-meter Telescope
Mosaic I
Optical
V
537 nmNicholas U. Mayall 4-meter Telescope
Mosaic I
Optical
R
644 nmNicholas U. Mayall 4-meter Telescope
Mosaic I
Optical
SII
672 nmNicholas U. Mayall 4-meter Telescope
Mosaic I
Optical
Ha
656 nmNicholas U. Mayall 4-meter Telescope
Mosaic I
Optical
I
805 nmNicholas U. Mayall 4-meter Telescope
Mosaic I