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Credit & Copyright: Reinhold Wittich
Explanation:
Gorgeous spiral galaxy Messier 33 seems to have more than its fair share of
glowing hydrogen gas.
A prominent member of the local group of galaxies, M33 is also
known as the Triangulum Galaxy and
lies a mere 3 million light-years away.
The galaxy's central 30,000 light-years or so are shown in this
sharp galaxy portrait.
The portrait features M33's
reddish ionized hydrogen clouds or
HII regions.
Sprawling along loose spiral arms that wind toward the core,
M33's
giant HII regions
are some of the largest known stellar nurseries,
sites of the formation of short-lived but very massive stars.
Intense ultraviolet radiation from the luminous, massive stars ionizes
the surrounding hydrogen gas and ultimately produces the
characteristic red glow.
In this image, broadband data were combined
with narrowband data recorded through a hydrogen-alpha filter.
That filter transmits the light of the strongest visible hydrogen
emission
line.
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A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: HII region - M 33
Publications with words: HII region - M 33
See also: