Posted on 09/30/2021 4:12:10 PM PDT by MtnClimber
Explanation: Gorgeous spiral galaxy M33 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. 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. To highlight the HII regions in this telescopic image, broadband data used to produce a color view of the galaxy were combined with narrowband data recorded through a hydrogen-alpha filter, transmitting the light of the strongest hydrogen emission line. Close-ups of cataloged HII regions appear in the sidebar insets. Use the individual reference number to find their location within the Triangulum Galaxy. For example, giant HII region NGC604 is identified in an inset on the right and appears at position number 15. That's about 4 o'clock from galaxy center in this portrait of M33.
For more detail go to the link and click on the image for a high definition image. You can then move the magnifying glass cursor then click to zoom in and click again to zoom out. When zoomed in you can scan by moving the side bars on the bottom and right side of the image.
With all that hydrogen it’s a wonder that galaxy doesn’t float off into space!
Just think, if we could capture that hydrogen, we could save thousands on our electric bills.
:-)
If that thing finds an open spark it’s gonna blow!
Pretty dangerous with all those stars in the area.
Definitely not up to code!
I remember our “dark sky” site was in a park away from city lights. It was great, and this time of year one object to observe was M33. It was somewhat difficult to see with a small telescope unless the sky was REALLY dark. I could find it with my 10x50 binoculars fairly quickly.
Those were the days…..
I don’t see any Hydrogen........................
But you should be able to smell the Hydrogen!
The light “tells” us that it is, indeed Hydrogen,
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