Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Andromeda (And)  ·  Contains:  Great Nebula in Andromeda  ·  M 110  ·  M 31  ·  M 32  ·  NGC 205  ·  NGC 221  ·  NGC 224
NGC 224 - M 31 -  Andromeda Galaxy, Yannic Delisle
NGC 224 - M 31 -  Andromeda Galaxy
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NGC 224 - M 31 - Andromeda Galaxy

NGC 224 - M 31 -  Andromeda Galaxy, Yannic Delisle
NGC 224 - M 31 -  Andromeda Galaxy
Powered byPixInsight

NGC 224 - M 31 - Andromeda Galaxy

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Description

The Andromeda Galaxy, also known as Messier 31, M31, or NGC 224 and originally the Andromeda Nebula, is a spiral galaxy approximately 2.5 million light-years (770 kiloparsecs) from Earth, and the nearest major galaxy to the Milky Way. The galaxy's name stems from the area of the Earth's sky in which it appears, the constellation of Andromeda.

The number of stars contained in the Andromeda Galaxy is estimated at one trillion (1×1012), or roughly twice the number estimated for the Milky Way. The Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies are expected to collide in around 4.5 billion years, merging to form a giant elliptical galaxy or a large lenticular galaxy. With an apparent magnitude of 3.4, the Andromeda Galaxy is among the brightest of the Messier objects making it visible to the naked eye from Earth on moonless nights, even when viewed from areas with moderate light pollution.

The Andromeda Galaxy was formed roughly 10 billion years ago from the collision and subsequent merger of smaller protogalaxies. This violent collision formed most of the galaxy's (metal-rich) galactic halo and extended disk. During this epoch, its rate of star formation would have been very high, to the point of becoming a luminous infrared galaxy for roughly 100 million years. Andromeda and the Triangulum Galaxy had a very close passage 2–4 billion years ago. This event produced high rates of star formation across the Andromeda Galaxy's disk—even some globular clusters—and disturbed M33's outer disk.

A 2004 Cepheid variable method estimated the distance to be 2.51 ± 0.13 million light-years (770 ± 40 kpc).

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  • NGC 224 - M 31 -  Andromeda Galaxy, Yannic Delisle
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    NGC 224 - M 31 -  Andromeda Galaxy, Yannic Delisle
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NGC 224 - M 31 -  Andromeda Galaxy, Yannic Delisle