Waid Observatory

Object: M31
Date: 10-05-2013 - Telescope: Explore Scientific 127mm APO - Camera: Canon 5D DSLR
Location: Davis Mountains west of Ft. Davis, TX - Exposure: 210 min. (10 min. sub-exposures)
Imaged by Preston Starr - Processed by Donald Waid
Click on the image below to view at higher resolution.

  M31 - The Andromeda Galaxy

 

M31 The Andromeda Galaxy 1

Located in the Andromeda constellation, M31 is one of the three large galaxies (Milky Way, M33 and M31) in the Local Group and is approximately 2.5 million light years distant. With a mass of about 1.5 times that of the Milky Way, it is the dominant galaxy of the Local Group. M31 is approaching the Milky Way at a speed of 140 kilometer per second. At this rate it is projected to collide with the Milky Way in about 3 to 5 billion years when the two will probably merge to form a large elliptical galaxy. M31 can easily be seen in a dark sky with the aid of binoculars and appears as an oval shaped "nebulosity" of light. It can also be seen as a "fuzzy patch" with the unaided eye when sky conditions are very dark and one's eyesight is good. Two other Messier objects are also visible in the image. M32 is the small round companion galaxy just above M31 and the small elliptical galaxy at the bottom of the image is M110.

1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andromeda_Galaxy

 
Copyright Donald P. Waid