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Image Credit & Copyright: Lorenzo Comolli |
"Explanation: Andromeda is the nearest major galaxy to our own Milky Way
Galaxy. Our Galaxy is thought to look much like Andromeda. Together these two galaxies dominate the Local Group of galaxies.
The diffuse light from Andromeda is caused by the
hundreds of billions of stars
that compose it. The several distinct stars that surround Andromeda's image are actually stars in our Galaxy that are well in front of the background
object. Andromeda is
frequently referred to as M31 since it is the 31st
object on Messier's list
of diffuse sky objects. M31 is so distant it takes
about two million years for light to reach us from there. Although visible without aid, the
above image of M31 was
taken with a small telescope. Much about M31 remains unknown,
including how it acquired its unusual double-peaked
center."
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