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The Triangulum Galaxy, also known as the Pinwheel Galaxy for obvious reasons
is located in the constellation of Triangulum. At about a degree
across, M33 is a large target but difficult to see in detail visually
because it is comparatively faint given the amount of sky it covers.
Bright knots in the spiral arms and the core are about all one can see
through telescopes of moderate aperture. Photographically, the
Pinwheel's true nature is revealed as a vast spiral galaxy about 2.4 million
light years distant and spanning about 60,000 light years. In this
image, the pinkish knots in the spiral arms are HII regions where new star
formation is taking place exactly as occurs in our own galaxy's vast nebulae
of hydrogen gas.
Back to Messier Gallery
Date: 9/27/2008
Location:
Okie-Tex Star Party
Telescope: LX200 10" SCT @ f/6.3
Mount: AP-1200 GTOCP3
Camera: Hutech Modified
Canon 350D @ ISO 800
Exposure Count: 29 x 10 min, 290 minutes total
exposure over two nights
Guiding: SBIG ST402ME, CCDSoft
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Post Processing: |
ImagesPlus: Dark and flat calibration, align and
combine, digital development
Photoshop CS3: Smart sharpen, levels
NeatImage: Noise reduction
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