M33 The Pin wheel Galaxy

The small, northern constellation Triangulum harbors this magnificent face-on spiral galaxy, M33. Its popular names include the Pinwheel Galaxy or just the Triangulum Galaxy. M33 is over 50,000 light-years in diameter, third largest in the Local Group of galaxies after the Andromeda Galaxy (M31), and our own Milky Way. About 3 million light-years from the Milky Way, M33 is itself thought to be a satellite of the Andromeda Galaxy

Imaging Data

Date: 9-5-2010

Location : Sudbury, Massachusetts

Optics : ZenithStar 66mm Apo

Filter(s) : None

Mount : Piggyback LX-200 on ATS Pier

Autoguiding : None

Camera : Canon EOS 1000D Astro-modified

Exposure info : 11 x 120 second Exposures @ISO 1600

Total Exposure : 22 minutes