Astronomy Picture of the Day

Explanation: The big, beautiful Andromeda Galaxy, aka M31, is a spiral galaxy a mere 2.5 million light-years away. Two space-based observatories have combined to produce this intriguing composite image of Andromeda, at wavelengths outside the visible spectrum. The remarkable view follows the locations of this galaxy's once and future stars. In reddish hues, image data from the large Herschel infrared observatory traces enormous lanes of dust, warmed by stars, sweeping along Andromeda's spiral arms. The dust, in conjunction with the galaxy's interstellar gas, comprises the raw material for future star formation. X-ray data from the XMM-Newton observatory in blue pinpoint Andromeda's X-ray binary star systems. These systems likely contain neutron stars or stellar mass black holes that represent final stages in stellar evolution. More than twice the size of our own Milky Way, the Andromeda Galaxy is over 200,000 light-years across.

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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.

Publications with keywords: M 31 - Andromeda galaxy - infrared - X-ray - stellar evolution
Publications with words: M 31 - Andromeda galaxy - infrared - X-ray - stellar evolution
See also:

• The Orion Bullets
• Planetary Nebula PK 164 31
• NGC 206 and the Star Clouds of Andromeda
• NuSTAR XRay Telescope Launched
• Milky Way Galaxy Doomed: Collision with Andromeda Pending
• GALEX: The Andromeda Galaxy
• RCW 86: Historical Supernova Remnant

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