M33 - The Pinwheel Galaxy in Triangulum

Equipment: 12.5" RCOS RC f/9 on a Software Bisque Paramount ME, FLI PL-16803 astro CCD camera

Exposure: 8 hours 40 minutes total (LRGB plus H-alpha)

Taken remotely from Grapevine, Texas at the Conley Observatory, Comanche Springs Astronomy Campus (CSAC), Three Rivers Foundation, Crowell, Texas. November 21-22, 2017.

Over 2.7 million light years away in the constellation of Triangulum. Known as the “Triangulum” or “Pinwheel” galaxy. It is of a grand spiral design, one of the largest galaxies in the night sky from our point of view, easily 1/2 degree across (the apparent size of our moon). M33 serves as a good test for truly dark skies…an easy naked eye object in magnitude 7 skies (Bortle 2) or better. The amazing number of visual HII regions, showing as reddish-pink in the image, is the key feature of this galaxy.