The Andromeda Galaxy, also known as Messier 31 (or M31), is one of the most distant objects visible to unaided human eyes. This spiral galaxy, located 2.5 million light-years away from our sun, is considered to be a “twin sister” to our own galaxy in appearance. Look for it as a faint and elongated fuzzy patch sitting a palm’s width above the bright star Mirach, or use the top three stars of Cassiopeia as a pointer. The inset image, taken by Ron Brecher of Guelph, Ontario, reveals the pink star-forming regions and dark dust lanes contained in the enveloping spiral arms. Two elliptical galaxies designated M110 and M32 are positioned just above and below the central core, respectively.
The most distant object in space that we can see with our unaided eyes, the Andromeda Galaxy, is located more than 2 million light-years away — but you can see it in the early evening night sky this autumn. Learn More HERE
Posted on November 23, 2018 in General