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Credit & Copyright: Matteo Dunchi
Explanation:
Have you ever seen the Andromeda galaxy?
Although
M31
appears as a faint and fuzzy blob to the unaided eye, the light you see will be over
two million years old,
making it likely the oldest light you ever will
see directly.
Now rising near a few hours after sunset from mid-latitude northern locations,
Andromeda is
rising earlier
each night and will be visible to northerners all night long starting in September.
The featured image captured
Andromeda rising above
the
Italian
Alps last month.
As cool as it may be to see this
neighboring
galaxy to our
Milky
Way
with your own eyes, long duration camera exposures can pick up many
faint and
breathtaking details.
Recent data indicates that our Milky Way Galaxy
will collide and coalesce
with the slightly larger Andromeda galaxy in a few billion years.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: M 31 - Andromeda galaxy
Publications with words: M 31 - Andromeda galaxy
See also:
- NGC 206 and the Star Clouds of Andromeda
- APOD: 2024 September 8 Á M31: The Andromeda Galaxy
- APOD: 2023 November 13 Á Andromeda over the Alps
- The Once and Future Stars of Andromeda
- APOD: 2023 August 23 Á The Meteor and the Galaxy
- APOD: 2023 March 22 Á M31: The Andromeda Galaxy
- APOD: 2023 January 17 Á Unexpected Clouds Toward the Andromeda Galaxy