M33, or the 'triangulum galaxy', is the thrid largest of the local group of galaxies and lies at a distance of just under 3 million light years from us. It is estimated to contain about 40-50 billion stars, as compared to 100-400 billion for the milky way, and 1000 billion for M31. Its diameter is about 50,000 light years, about half that of the milky way. |
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Telescope. William OpticS ZS80FD Camera. Atik 16HR Luminance. 24 X 6 minutes L & Ha-26th Sept & 7th Oct 2008 |