NGC 598 (M33)

3. NGC 598 (M33) Triangulum Galaxy In a very clear, dark sky M33 is easily seen with the unaided eye,and even under much poorer conditions it can be glimpsed in finders or binoculars. Because of its large apparent size and correspondingly low surface brightness, it can be difficult in 4- to 10-inch telescopes unless very low power is used. In a 16-inch beautiful spiral arms can be seen, as well as many bright knots from unresolved star clusters and nebulae (such as the huge HII region, NGC 604, near the northeast edge of the galaxy's disk). From Tucson, Arizona, an amateur astronomer has seen a faint patch near the main disk of M33, resulting in an appearance similar to M51, the famous Whirlpool galaxy. With an 8-inch telescope you can also notice this curious shape.