Andromeda Galaxy

Andromeda Galaxy
Spiral Galaxies
The Andromeda galaxy, also known as Messier 31 (M31), is a glittering beacon in this image released on June 25, 2025, in tribute to the groundbreaking legacy of astronomer Dr. Vera Rubin, whose observations transformed our understanding of the universe. In the 1960s, Rubin and her colleagues studied M31 and determined that there was some unseen […]
Posted June 26, 2025
Andromeda Galaxy
Chandra X-Ray Observatory
Galaxies
Marshall Astrophysics
Marshall Space Flight Center
The Universe
The Andromeda galaxy, also known as Messier 31 (M31), is the closest spiral galaxy to the Milky Way at a distance of about 2.5 million light-years. Astronomers use Andromeda to understand the structure and evolution of our own spiral, which is much harder to do since Earth is embedded inside the Milky Way. The galaxy […]
Posted June 26, 2025
Andromeda Galaxy
Astrophysics
Astrophysics Division
Galaxies
Goddard Space Flight Center
Hubble Space Telescope
Interacting Galaxies
The Milky Way
The Universe
As far back as 1912, astronomers realized that the Andromeda galaxy — then thought to be only a nebula — was headed our way. A century later, astronomers using NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope were able to measure the sideways motion of Andromeda and found it was so negligible that an eventual head-on collision with the […]
Posted June 2, 2025
Andromeda Galaxy
Astrophysics
Astrophysics Division
Galaxies
Goddard Space Flight Center
Hubble Space Telescope
Spiral Galaxies
Located 2.5 million light-years away, the majestic Andromeda galaxy appears to the naked eye as a faint, spindle-shaped object roughly the angular size of the full Moon. What backyard observers don’t see is a swarm of nearly three dozen small satellite galaxies circling the Andromeda galaxy, like bees around a hive.
Posted February 27, 2025
Andromeda Galaxy
Astrophysics
Astrophysics Division
Galaxies
Goddard Space Flight Center
Hubble Space Telescope
Spiral Galaxies
The Universe
In the years following the launch of NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers have tallied over 1 trillion galaxies in the universe. But only one galaxy stands out as the most important nearby stellar island to our Milky Way — the magnificent Andromeda galaxy (Messier 31). It can be seen with the naked eye on a […]
Posted January 16, 2025
Andromeda Galaxy
Astrophysics
Astrophysics Division
Goddard Space Flight Center
Hubble Space Telescope
Stars
The Universe
For humans, the most important star in the universe is our Sun. The second-most important star is nestled inside the Andromeda galaxy. Don’t go looking for it — the flickering star is 2.2 million light-years away, and is 1/100,000th the brightness of the faintest star visible to the human eye. Yet, a century ago, its […]
Posted January 15, 2025
Andromeda Galaxy
Black Holes
Spitzer Space Telescope
Supermassive Black Holes
This image, released on May 9, 2024, from NASA’s retired Spitzer Space Telescope shows streams of dust flowing toward the supermassive black hole at the heart of the Andromeda Galaxy. These dust streams can help explain how black holes billions of times the mass of our Sun can satiate their big appetites but remain “quiet” […]
Posted May 9, 2024
General
Andromeda Galaxy
Galaxies
Galaxies, Stars, & Black Holes
Spitzer Space Telescope
The Milky Way
The Universe
Data from NASA’s retired Spitzer Space Telescope has given scientists new insights into why some supermassive black holes shine differently than others. In images from NASA’s retired Spitzer Space Telescope, streams of dust thousands of light-years long flow toward the supermassive black hole at the heart of the Andromeda galaxy.
Posted May 9, 2024
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