Nebula NGC 604 in M33 (Triangulum)

Place mouse over image
to see an alternative view.
NGC 604 is a huge nebula located in one of the spiral arms of our neighboring galaxy M33, Triangulum, which is about 2.7 to 3 million light-years away.  The nebula is nearly 1,500 light-years across, making it many times larger than even the entire Orion Molecular Cloud Complex. Placed at the same distance as the Orion Nebula,  which is visible to the naked eye, NGC 604 would be brighter than Venus.  A spectacular object, it contains more than 200 large (from 15 to 60 solar masses) hot stars, that heat gas around the nebula making it fluoresce.