M31

This is one of the great showpiece objects in the night sky, the Andromeda Galaxy. Cataloged as M31, this galaxy and our own Milky Way dominate the Local Group of galaxies. This galaxy is very similar to our own, and, although Andromeda is about twice the diameter, ours is currently thought to have more mass. The question of which Galaxy is larger may someday become moot, though, because Andromeda is rushing toward us at about 300,000 miles per hour. In about 5 billion years, the galaxies may collide and merge to form one very large galaxy. At 2.9 million light years distant, Andromeda is also the most distant object that can be seen with the naked eye, but you need darker skies than ours to see it.

There are actually 3 easily visible galaxies in this picture. Accompanying M31, much like our own satellite galaxies, the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, are M110, the obvious galaxy at about the 5 o'clock position, and M32, the less obvious galaxy in the 9 o'clock position from Andromeda's core.

Object	M31
Constellation	Andromeda
Date Aquired	09/30/2003
Camera	ST-2000XM with CFW-8
Exposure	12X10 Min L, 5X10 Min R (2x2) , 5X5 Min G (2x2), 5X8 min B (2x2)
Telescope	Takahashi FS-60C with F/4.4 reducer/flattener
Mount	Losmandy G11