🌌 Andromeda Galaxy (M31) — Scientific Overview The #Andromeda Galaxy is the nearest large spiral galaxy to the #MilkyWay and the largest member of the Local Group. 🔭 Key Facts Type: Unbarred spiral galaxy (SA(s)b) Distance: ~2.54 million light-years Diameter: ~220,000 light-years (larger than the Milky Way) Number of stars: ~1 trillion Constellation: Andromeda ⭐ Structure & Contents Prominent dust lanes and active star-forming regions Central supermassive black hole with a mass of ~100 million

Andromeda galaxy will collide with Milky Way

How to Find the Andromeda Galaxy

TONIGHT — THE ANDROMEDA GALAXY REACHES ITS HIGHEST POINT IN THE SKY AROUND 8–10 P.M. LOCAL TIME, A FAINT SMUDGE 2.5 MILLION LIGHT-YEARS AWAY. M31 sits in the constellation Andromeda, roughly halfway between the Great Square of Pegasus and Cassiopeia's distinctive W-shape. To the naked eye under dark skies, it appears as a soft oval glow, about 3° long—six times the width of the full Moon. Through binoculars, the bright core and elongated disk become obvious. You're seeing a spiral galaxy contain

EarthSky | Andromeda and Milky Way galaxies are merging