Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Andromeda (And)  ·  Contains:  Andromeda Galaxy  ·  M 110  ·  M 31  ·  M 32  ·  NGC 205  ·  NGC 221  ·  NGC 224
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M31 - The Great Andromeda Galaxy (2020), Drew Evans
M31 - The Great Andromeda Galaxy (2020)
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M31 - The Great Andromeda Galaxy (2020)

Getting plate-solving status, please wait...
M31 - The Great Andromeda Galaxy (2020), Drew Evans
M31 - The Great Andromeda Galaxy (2020)
Powered byPixInsight

M31 - The Great Andromeda Galaxy (2020)

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Description

The Andromeda Galaxy is a 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 the Earth's sky in which it appears, the constellation of Andromeda.

The combined mass of the Andromeda Galaxy is of the same order of magnitude as that of the Milky Way, at a trillion solar masses. The smaller galaxies alongside are M32 and M110.

The number of stars contained in the Andromeda Galaxy is estimated at one trillion, or roughly twice the number estimated for the Milky Way. Now just think of how many planets are orbiting those stars, perhaps some with intelligent life.

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M31 - The Great Andromeda Galaxy (2020), Drew Evans