Type II supernovae are never found in elliptical galaxies. Rather their stars are usually found in the disks of spiral arms of galaxies. For this reason, thse are thought to be Population I stars. Population I stars form about two percent of stars and tend to be formed from heavier elements from previous giant stars. They are young, hot and luminous.

Although the differences between Type I and Type II supernovae make them appear as different as apples and oranges, they both have their origins in explosions of super massive stars due to the collapse of their core and their ensuing fusion processes. Thus they lie in the same class of natural phenomena. Both play critical roles in stellar evolution and both contain enough unanswered questions to keep astrophysicists curious for the unforeseeable future.

M31 is the relatively close and very bright Andromeda Galaxy. It is so bright that the galaxy visually appears as a dim oval patch of light even to the unaided eye. Through a telescope, the view is no less than magnificent. Nearly nine times larger across than the full Moon, this huge island universe reveals many interesting features. Dark clouds highlight shape to the spiral structure, and the star-like core directs you to the bright central region. M32 and M110 are both smaller companion galaxies to the Andromeda, like the Small and Large Magellanic Clouds are to us. Similar to our own, this spiral galaxy 2 million light years away is on a collision course with the Milky Way. No need for concern now, it won't happen until billions of years have gone by.

M33 is another large galaxy in Triangulum. Along with the Milky Way, Andromeda and a few dozen smaller galaxies, the Triangulum Galaxy is part of the Local Group. This face-on spiral has been referred to as the Pinwheel Galaxy, a name most and officially associated with M101, another face-on spiral. M33's low surface brightness makes it a challenge to view in smaller telescopes. M35 is a galactic cluster in Gemini. A loose collection of bright stars almost the size of the full Moon appear in the sky very near a tight older cluster identified as NGC 2158. Messier 42 is a large diffuse cloud known as the Great Orion Nebula. Great being the key word here, this fantastic bright and colorful object lies in the sword or dagger part of Orion the hunter. It is difficult to express in words how truly beautiful this nebula appears in a telescope with its swirling gas and filamentous arms surrounding a star region known as the Trapezium. Part of what is called Barnard's Loop, this stellar nursery lies at a distance of 1,500 light years away. A close-up view with the HST reveals what we theorized to exist a few decades ago, the existence of proplids or protostars, areas where gas and dust coalesced eventually to become new stars and stellar systems.