Browsing: Andromeda

Andromeda refers to the Andromeda Galaxy, the closest spiral galaxy to the Milky Way and the largest galaxy in the Local Group of galaxies, which also includes the Milky Way, the Triangulum Galaxy, and about 54 smaller dwarf galaxies. Located approximately 2.5 million light-years from Earth, Andromeda is visible to the naked eye in the night sky from Earth’s Northern Hemisphere, appearing as a faint, elongated smudge. It is similar in structure to the Milky Way, with a central bulge, spiral arms, and a halo of older stars and dark matter. Andromeda contains around a trillion stars, more than double the number in the Milky Way. The two galaxies are on a collision course, expected to merge in about 4.5 billion years, forming a larger elliptical galaxy. Studying Andromeda helps astronomers understand galaxy formation, structure, and evolution.