This overview of our developing understanding of spiral galaxy M33 adds historical perspective to today's cutting-edge research, taking us from Hubble's determination of its true nature in the 1920s up to today, when the Hubble telescope can probe its secrets.

This book summarizes the gathering of information on and the growing understanding of M33 from the 1920s, when Hubble first determined its true nature, to the 21st century, when the Hubble Telescope probed deeply into its many secrets. With its regular symmetrical spiral structure, and its being not tilted too much and near enough to allow detailed studies of its stars, M33 is well-suited for the study of a typical spiral galaxy. In this work, Paul Hodge places current research on M33 (and similar galaxies) in both historical and global perspectives. The book is written in a language accessible for specialists and non-specialists, for professional and amateur astronomers, for scientists and the curious public and, most importantly, for students.

A concise book carefully written by a leading expert Provides a balanced overview of historical and most recent research on a typical spiral galaxy

Inhalt

Basic Data.- Developing Knowledge.- Hubble's Pioneering Study.- Structure.- The Nucleus.- Clusters and Associations.- Gas and Dust.- Spectra and Abundances.- Stellar Populations and the Star Formation History.- Variable Stars.- X-Ray Sources.- Dynamics and Mass.- Index.