NGC 604

NGC 604 is an H II region inside the Triangulum Galaxy. It was discovered by William Herschel on September 11, 1784. It is one of the largest H II regions in the Local Group of galaxies; at the galaxy's estimated distance of 2.4 million light-years its longest diameter is roughly 700 light-years (200 + parsecs), over 20 times the size of the visible portion of the Orion Nebula. Over 6300 times more luminous than the Orion Nebula, if it were at the same distance it would outshine Venus. Like all emission nebulae, its gas is ionized by a cluster of massive stars at its center.[link]

External links

• [Nebula NGC 604 @ SEDS Messier pages]
• [NASA APOD: NGC 604 - August 16, 1996]
• [NASA APOD: NGC 604 - November 2, 2002]

Reference

• Some data in the table was updated from Sue French's column "Deep-sky Wonders", in the January 2006 issue of Sky & Telescope, p. 83.

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