The world behind M33
A name written
in the stars.
Before it was the inspiration for a fragrance, Messier 33 was a point of discovery in the night sky. Our name begins there.
3 million
Approximate distance in light-years
Triangulum
The constellation it calls home
1764
Catalogued by Charles Messier
The origin
What is
Messier 33?
A galaxy beyond our own.
Messier 33, also called the Triangulum Galaxy, is a spiral galaxy about three million light-years from Earth. It belongs to the Local Group, the family of galaxies that also includes the Milky Way and Andromeda.
Its sweeping arms hold stars, gas, and dust, with luminous regions where new stars are forming. From a distance, these countless details become one extraordinary whole.
How a number became a name.
In August 1764, French astronomer Charles Messier observed and catalogued the galaxy. The designation M33 refers to its place in the Messier catalogue.
In the 1920s, Edwin Hubble’s study of its variable stars helped establish that M33 was a separate galaxy, far beyond our own.
Astronomy reference: NASA’s Hubble Messier catalogue