NGC 588

NGC 588 is a prominent, giant H II ionized^[5] diffuse nebula located in the outskirts of the galaxy Messier 33's spiral arms, within the Triangulum constellation.^[6][4] The nebula has two Wolf-Rayet stars, NGC 588-UIT 008 and NGC 588-MC3 and a fairly large population of main sequence stars of 2 to 20 solar masses. The more massive stars in the nebula have a mass of around 40 solar masses. NGC 588 is 4.2 million years old and has a mass of 2300 solar masses.^[7]

NGC 588

Diffuse nebula
A image of NGC 588
Observation data: epoch
Subtype	H II[1]
Right ascension	1h 32.7m 00s[2]
Declination	+30° 40′ 00″[2]
Distance	z=−0.000580[1]
Apparent dimensions (V)	0.65 arc minutes?[3]
Constellation	Triangulum
Designations	IRAS 01299+3023[4]
See also: Lists of nebulae

NGC 588 and NGC 592 (another nebula in the Triangulum galaxy) are both very prominent stellar nurseries in their regions.^[7]

Discovery

It was discovered October 2, 1861, by the German–Danish astronomer Heinrich d'Arrest.^[8]