Andromeda Galaxy

Our Milky Way Galaxy is part of a gathering of about 25 galaxies known as the Local Group. Members include the Great Andromeda Galaxy (M31), the Large Magellanic Cloud, the Small Magellanic Cloud, Dwingeloo 1, several small irregular galaxies, and many dwarf elliptical and dwarf spheroidal galaxies. Pictured on the lower right is one of the dwarf ellipticals: NGC 205. The Andromeda Galaxy and the Milky Way are approaching one another at a speed of 100 to 140 kilometres per second. The collision is predicted to occur in about 2.5 billion years, the two merging to form a giant elliptical galaxy. Credit & Copyright: ... Read Full Story

Andromeda, a spiral galaxy approximately 2.5 million light-years away in the constellation Andromeda is the nearest spiral galaxy to our own, the Milky Way. Andromeda and the Milky Way are approaching one another at a speed of 100 to 140 kilometers per second (62–87 miles/sec). However, this does not mean it will definitely collide with the Milky Way, since the galaxy's tangential velocity is unknown. If they do collide, the two galaxies will likely merge to form a monster elliptical galaxy. Andromeda, home to the evil Kelvans in an early Star Trek episode, was believed to be the largest galaxy of the Local Group ... Read Full Story

Last night the sky was clear so Logan and I pulled out the starmap and flashlight and did some observing from the backyard. Recently I've been focusing on the Southwestern horizon simply because of the lack of line of sight obstructions, but decided to check out the Northeast sky. I'm really glad I did! Here are the most interesting objects we observed last night. Cassiopia The first constellation that caught my eye was Cassiopia (click for larger): As you can see, Cassiopia has a distinct "W" shape, making it easy to find in the sky. The leading star, alpha Cas is an irregular variable ... Read Full Story

M31 lies 2.5 million light-years away in the constellation Andromeda and is the nearest large spiral galaxy to our own. Under a clear, dark sky, it can be seen as a misty patch with the naked eye. In a break from its usual task of searching for distant cosmic explosions, NASA's Swift satellite has acquired the highest-resolution view of a neighboring spiral galaxy ever attained in the ultraviolet (see below). The galaxy, known as M31 in the constellation Andromeda, is the largest and closest spiral galaxy to our own. "Swift reveals about 20,000 ultraviolet sources in M31, especially hot, young stars and dense star ... Read Full Story

Taken by a telescope onboard NASA's Swift satellite, this stunning vista represents the highest resolution image ever made of the Andromeda Galaxy (aka M31) - at ultraviolet wavelengths. To compare this gorgeous island universe's appearance in optical light with its ultraviolet portrait, just slide your cursor over the image. Read Full Story