Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Andromeda (And)  ·  Contains:  35 And  ·  35 nu. And  ·  Andromeda Galaxy  ·  HD3431  ·  HD3447  ·  HD3765  ·  HD3969  ·  HD4143  ·  HD4174  ·  HD4322  ·  HD4501  ·  HD4669  ·  M 110  ·  M 31  ·  M 32  ·  NGC 205  ·  NGC 206  ·  NGC 221  ·  NGC 224  ·  The star ν And
Getting plate-solving status, please wait...
M31 - Andromeda Galaxy (M31 - Andromeda (Reprocess)), Joe Santacroce
Powered byPixInsight

M31 - Andromeda Galaxy (M31 - Andromeda (Reprocess))

Getting plate-solving status, please wait...
M31 - Andromeda Galaxy (M31 - Andromeda (Reprocess)), Joe Santacroce
Powered byPixInsight

M31 - Andromeda Galaxy (M31 - Andromeda (Reprocess))

Equipment

Loading...

Acquisition details

Loading...

Description

The Andromeda Galaxy, also known as Messier 31, M31, or NGC 224 and originally the Andromeda Nebula, is a barred spiral galaxy approximately 2.5 million light-years from Earth and the nearest major galaxy to the Milky Way. The galaxy's name stems from the area of Earth's sky in which it appears, the constellation of Andromeda, which itself is named after the Ethiopian (or Phoenician) princess who was the wife of Perseus in Greek mythology.

The virial mass of the Andromeda Galaxy is of the same order of magnitude as that of the Milky Way, at 1 trillion solar masses. The mass of either galaxy is difficult to estimate with any accuracy, but it was long thought that the Andromeda Galaxy is more massive than the Milky Way by a margin of some 25% to 50%. The Andromeda Galaxy has a diameter of about 220,000 ly, making it the largest member of the Local Group in terms of extension.

The number of stars contained in the Andromeda Galaxy is estimated at one trillion, or roughly twice the number estimated for the Milky Way.

Courtesy of Wiki

Comments

Sky plot

Sky plot

Histogram

M31 - Andromeda Galaxy (M31 - Andromeda (Reprocess)), Joe Santacroce