Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Andromeda (And)  ·  Contains:  Andromeda Galaxy  ·  M 110  ·  M 31  ·  M 32  ·  NGC 205  ·  NGC 221  ·  NGC 224
M31 (The Andromeda Galaxy), Bzewe1997
M31 (The Andromeda Galaxy)
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M31 (The Andromeda Galaxy)

M31 (The Andromeda Galaxy), Bzewe1997
M31 (The Andromeda Galaxy)
Powered byPixInsight

M31 (The Andromeda Galaxy)

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Description

M31 (The Andromeda Galaxy) 

9/14/2023 - 9/15/2023, 2:00 AM (UTC)

Captured over a span of two nights 

The Andromeda Galaxy is a barred spiral galaxy (SA(s)b) and is the nearest galaxy to the Milky Way. This galaxy can be seen with the naked eye under the right conditions. M31 was never truly discovered because humans have always been able to see it! Prior to being classified as a galaxy (thanks to the help of Edwin Hubble), M31 was named "The Andromeda Nebula." Looking further back into history, we see that around the year 964, the Persian astronomer Abd-al Rahman al-Sufi referred to M31 in his book "Book of Fixed Stars" as a "nebulous smear" or "little cloud."

In 1924, Edwin Hubble calculated the distances of Cepheid variables located in the Andromeda Galaxy. Realizing that these stars were not part of the Milky Way but, in fact, belonged to an entirely different galaxy, he published his famous work in 1925. Astronomers were then able to reach the conclusion that the Milky Way galaxy was not the only galaxy in the universe.

When observing the redshift in M31's spectrum, astronomers have noticed that it is moving toward us. The proper motion of stars in both the Milky Way and Andromeda shows that they are gravitationally attracted to each other, consistent with the idea that they will one day collide.

Other objects in this image include:

NGC 206 - one of the largest and brightest star forming regions in the local group 

M32 - a dwarf “early-type” galaxy 

M110 - a dwarf elliptical galaxy that is a satellite galaxy of M31 

(Captured in SharpCap, processed in Siril, then sent for adjustments in Photoshop)

245 (OSC) x 60-second exposures 

🔭: Apertura 60 EDR 

📸: Player One Astronomy: Uranus-C

Filter wheel: Player One Astronomy: Phoenix Wheel 

Filter: ZWO UV/IR Cut

***First attempt at Andromeda. Any tips for processing would be appreciated!***

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M31 (The Andromeda Galaxy), Bzewe1997