Triangulum - The Triangle

Learn about the constellation Triangulum - The Triangle, location, facts, mythology, meteor showers and deep space objects.

Triangulum is a small northern constellation whose three brightest stars, of third and fourth magnitude, form an elongated triangle.

Location: Northern Autumn 2h RA 30° Dec

Triangulum is the location of the Triangulum Galaxy, M33, one of the members of the Local Group. It is about 2.9 million light-years away, and at magnitude 5.8 is sufficiently bright that it can be glimpsed with the naked eye under dark skies.

Triangulum Mythology

An early name of the constellation was Sicilia, because Ceres, patron goddess of Sicily, was claimed to have begged Jupiter that the island be placed in the heavens.

Triangulum Deep Space Objects

The Triangulum Galaxy, also known as Messier 33, was discovered by Giovanni Battista Hodierna in the 17th century. A distant member of the Local Group, it is about 2.3 million light-years away, and at magnitude 5.8 it is bright enough to be seen by the naked eye under the darkest skies. Under light-polluted skies, it is challenging or invisible even in a small telescope or binoculars.

In this table, the observation month represents the month in which the object reaches its highest point in the sky. It can also be viewed a few months before and after depending on your location. Direction is the compass direction in which the object is located, with Z meaning Zenith or overhead.

#		Common Name	Constellation	Month	Coords	Direction	Mag	Size (arcmin)	Type	Star Chart
M33 NGC 598		Triangulum Galaxy	Triangulum	Nov	01h 33.9m RA 30° 39m Dec	SW	5.72	70x41	Galaxy	🔍︎