The Andromeda Galaxy is the nearest large galaxy to the Milky Way Galaxy in which we live, 2.5 million light-years away. Like our Milky Way Galaxy, it is a spiral galaxy. It is somewhat larger in size. It contains about 100 million stars. As seen in this image, it is about 220,000 light-years in diameter. It almost fills the camera frame of the William Optics ZenithStar 61-ii telescope used to take this picture, much more so than any other galaxy in our sky. It is so bright that under a really dark sky it can be seen by the naked eye, appearing as a moderately bright fuzzy spot. Of all the objects visible to the naked eye, it is the furthest away. It is moving towards us and is expected to collide with our own Milky Way Galaxy in about 4 or 5 billion years.
This is my most recent picture taken with this rig that I put together last year (2021): William Optics ZenithStar 61-ii (my first telescope), ZWO ASI2600MC (first dedicated astro camera), and iOptron CEM40 (first telescope mount). I've been very pleased with this rig and its been fun learning how to use it. I've recently substituted a new telescope, a William Optics Fluorostar 91. (For my first picture with the new telescope, see
https://www.astrobin.com/pf9vpc.)
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