New Image of the Andromeda Galaxy

The Andromeda Galaxy, also known as M-31, is located roughly 2.5 million light-years from Earth. Credit: NASA/MSFC/Meteoroid Environment Office/Bill Cooke

This newly released image shows the Andromeda Galaxy, a spiral galaxy located roughly 2.5 million light-years from Earth.

This bright image shows the Andromeda Galaxy, also known as M-31, as seen on the evening of November 10, 2013. This is a 10-minute exposure using a SBIG ST-8300C one-shot color CCD connected to a Takahashi 6″ refractor, located at the New Mexico Skies observatory.

Andromeda Galaxy

The Andromeda Galaxy, also known as M31, is one of the closest galaxies to the Milky Way and is the largest galaxy in our local group of galaxies. Located approximately 2.537 million light-years away, it is visible to the naked eye in the night sky from Earth under suitable conditions.

Andromeda is a spiral galaxy, characterized by its bright core and distinct spiral arms. It is similar in size to the Milky Way, but with a larger number of stars, estimated to be around one trillion. The Andromeda Galaxy is on a collision course with the Milky Way, predicted to occur in about 4 billion years, which will result in a merger of the two galaxies.