Galaxies
Messier 33 in H-alpha
M33 is the third-largest in our Local Group of galaxies, after M31 in Andromeda and our own Milky way galaxy. It is 2.7 million lightyears distant and around 60,000 lightyears in diameter, so around half the size of our own galaxy.
This unusual monochrome image is the result of data capture through a 7nm bandpass hydrogen-alpha filter. It therefore shows the many sites of hydrogen emission, the locations of extensive star formation.
This Ha image is the result of 4h of data capture, over two evenings in November 2021 and January 2022 from Horsham. A ZWO ASI2600MM Pro camera was used, through an 8-inch Ritchey-Chretien Cassegrain telescope.
Date: 14/01/2022
Location: Horsham, West Sussex
Photographer: Graham Wilcock
