NGC 588 is a prominent, giant H II

ionized Ionization or ionisation is the process by which an atom or a molecule acquires a negative or positive charge by gaining or losing electrons, often in conjunction with other chemical changes. The resulting electrically charged atom or molecule i ...

diffuse nebula A nebula (; or nebulas) is a distinct luminescent part of interstellar medium, which can consist of ionized, neutral, or molecular hydrogen and also cosmic dust. Nebulae are often star-forming regions, such as in the Pillars of Creation in the ...

located in the outskirts of the

galaxy A galaxy is a Physical system, system of stars, stellar remnants, interstellar medium, interstellar gas, cosmic dust, dust, and dark matter bound together by gravity. The word is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek ' (), literally 'milky', ...

Messier 33's spiral arms, within the

Triangulum Triangulum is a small constellation in the northern sky. Its name is Latin for "triangle", derived from its three brightest stars, which form a long and narrow triangle. Known to the ancient Babylonians and Greeks, Triangulum was one of the 48 ...

constellation. The

nebula A nebula (; or nebulas) is a distinct luminescent part of interstellar medium, which can consist of ionized, neutral, or molecular hydrogen and also cosmic dust. Nebulae are often star-forming regions, such as in the Pillars of Creation in ...

has two Wolf-Rayet stars, NGC 588-UIT 008 and NGC 588-MC3 and a fairly large population of

main sequence stars In astronomy, the main sequence is a classification of stars which appear on plots of stellar color versus brightness as a continuous and distinctive band. Stars on this band are known as main-sequence stars or dwarf stars, and positions of star ...

of 2 to 20 solar masses. The more massive

star A star is a luminous spheroid of plasma (physics), plasma held together by Self-gravitation, self-gravity. The List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs, nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked eye at night sk ...

s in the

have a mass of around 40 solar masses. NGC 588 is 4.2 million years old and has a

mass Mass is an Intrinsic and extrinsic properties, intrinsic property of a physical body, body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the physical quantity, quantity of matter in a body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physi ...

of 2300

solar mass The solar mass () is a frequently used unit of mass in astronomy, equal to approximately . It is approximately equal to the mass of the Sun. It is often used to indicate the masses of other stars, as well as stellar clusters, nebulae, galaxie ...

es. NGC 588 and NGC 592 (another

in the Triangulum galaxy) are both very prominent stellar nurseries in their regions.

Discovery

It was discovered October 2, 1861, by the German–Danish astronomer

Heinrich d'Arrest Heinrich Louis d'Arrest (13 August 1822 – 14 June 1875; ) was a Germans, German astronomer, born in Berlin. His name is sometimes given as Heinrich Ludwig d'Arrest. Biography While still a student at the Humboldt University of Berlin ...

References

External links

* Diffuse nebulae Triangulum 0588 Triangulum Galaxy Astronomical objects discovered in 1861 Discoveries by Heinrich Louis d'Arrest {{nebula-stub