... In the Center of NGC 604 . ... About 3 million years ago in the nearby galaxy M33, a large cloud of gas spawned dense internal knots which gravitationally collapsed to form stars. ... The Sun is bright, so bright that it overwhelms the light from other stars even for most satellite-borne telescopes. ... More than 9 light hours distant, Pioneer 10 is presently about twice as far from the Sun as Pluto, bound for interstellar space at 28,000 miles per hour. ... Comet Hale-Bopp is That Bright . ...