NGC 604

About 1.2 '× 1.9 '

About 3 million light years / about 900 kpc

Triangulum Galaxy, Local Group

( -754 ± 40) ⋅ 10-6

( -226 ± 12 ) km / s

William Herschel

September 11, 1784

NGC 604 • IRAS 01317 3031

NGC 604 is an H II region in the galaxy Messier 33 in the constellation triangle. It has an angular extent of about 1 ', 9 × 1', 2 and was discovered on September 11, 1784 by William Herschel. The name is derived from the entry of the object in the compiled in the 1880s, New General Catalogue. NGC 604 is one of the largest known H II regions.

NGC 604 lies in a spiral arm of the galaxy M33, which is also known as "triangular fog ". At a distance of 2.8 million light years, M33 is relatively close to us; she is a member of the Local Group, who also belongs to our Milky Way. M33 includes other H II regions, such as NGC 595 and NGC 592

NGC 604 is one of the largest star-forming regions, which have been found in our direct neighbor galaxies astronomers. The region has an area of ​​about 1300 light years and contains more than 200 young and very hot stars ( the high temperature according to bluish-colored ) that are developed only within the past three million years. Spectral analyzes also suggest that the region contains about as many active, massive Wolf -Rayet stars as blue stars. Around 50 of them have formed during a single phase of increased star formation in front of around 4 million years ago.

The interstellar medium in NGC 604 has complex bubble structures and filaments. According to current knowledge, these structures are formed on the other hand the one hand, by the strong stellar wind of the young, hot stars by supernova explosions.