Our Galactic Neighbor

The Andromeda Galaxy (M31) is the nearest major galaxy to the Milky Way, located approximately 2.5 million light-years away. It's the most distant object easily visible to the naked eye.

About This Image

This wide-field image captures the full extent of the Andromeda Galaxy:

• Spiral Structure: Multiple dust lanes outlining spiral arms
• Bright Core: Dense stellar population at the galactic center
• M32 & M110: Companion dwarf elliptical galaxies
• Star Clouds: Brilliant blue star-forming regions in the spiral arms

Imaging Details

• Total Integration: 5 hours
• Full Color: Natural color from OSC camera
• Wide Field: 250mm focal length captures the entire galaxy

Scale and Structure

M31 contains approximately one trillion stars—about twice as many as our Milky Way. If it were brighter, it would appear six times wider than the full Moon in our sky. The galaxy spans approximately 220,000 light-years in diameter.

Future Collision

In about 4.5 billion years, Andromeda and the Milky Way will collide and merge, forming a giant elliptical galaxy. This cosmic event is already set in motion as both galaxies move toward each other at 110 kilometers per second.

Processing Notes

The extreme size of M31 required careful mosaicking considerations. I chose to capture it in a single frame with a wide-field telescope, accepting that some detail is lost compared to using a longer focal length with multiple panels.