Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Andromeda (And)  ·  Contains:  Andromeda Galaxy  ·  M 31  ·  NGC 224
Andromeda Galaxy, M31, James Schellenberg
Andromeda Galaxy, M31
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Andromeda Galaxy, M31

Andromeda Galaxy, M31, James Schellenberg
Andromeda Galaxy, M31
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Andromeda Galaxy, M31

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Description

This deep sky object is known as the Andromeda Galaxy or M31 and is named after the constellation it resides in. It is approximately 2.5 million light-years from Earth and is the nearest major galaxy to our home galaxy, the Milky Way. While the mass of M31 is roughly the same as the Milky Way, the number of stars it contains is estimated at one trillion, twice that of the Milky Way. The Andromeda Galaxy has a diameter of about 220,000 ly, making it the largest member of the Local Group at least in terms of size, if not mass. It is expected to collide with our galaxy in around 4.5 billion years, merging to form a giant elliptical galaxy.

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Andromeda Galaxy, M31, James Schellenberg