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<\/a><\/p>\nThis VLT\/MUSE image shows part of the Triangulum galaxy, a spiral galaxy located about 3 million light-years away in the constellation of Triangulum. Image credit: ESO \/ Feltre et al.<\/p>\n
The Triangulum galaxy<\/a>, also known as Messier 33 or NGC 598, is a spiral galaxy about 3 million light-years<\/a> from Earth.<\/p>\n Visible under exceptionally dark skies as a faint, hazy patch in the constellation of Triangulum, it has long been a favorite target for astronomers.<\/p>\n The galaxy is one of the most prominent members of the Local Group, a gravitationally bound collection of more than 50 galaxies that includes the Milky Way and the Andromeda galaxy. It ranks as the group\u2019s third-largest galaxy, though it is also the smallest spiral galaxy in the group.<\/p>\n It spans roughly 60,000 light-years, making it far smaller than Andromeda, which stretches about 200,000 light-years across. The Milky Way, by comparison, is about 100,000 light-years in diameter.<\/p>\n \u201cStars are not, as is often imagined, isolated spheres in the dark, but rather live in rich and complex environments that they actively shape,\u201d said Dr. Anna Feltre from the INAF-Astrophysical Observatory of Arcetri and her colleagues in a statement.<\/p>\n \u201cStudying this cosmic interplay tells us about how stars form, and how their radiation affects the surrounding material, which helps us to understand how galaxies evolve as a whole.\u201d<\/p>\n In their study, the astronomers used data taken with the Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) instrument at VLT.<\/p>\n \u201cMUSE\u2019s superpower is its ability to break up the light into the different rainbow colors, allowing us to examine the chemical composition of the interstellar matter at every location across its whole field of view,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe different colors of the image represent different elements: blue, green and red indicate the presence of oxygen, hydrogen and sulfur, respectively.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMUSE allowed us to map the distribution of many other elements, as well as their motion, key to understanding the link between stars and their surroundings.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis cosmic interplay produces a spectacular and dynamic landscape, revealing that the birthplaces of stars are far more beautiful and complex than we ever imagined,\u201d Dr. Feltre concluded.<\/p>\n