M 31 | ||
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| Description: | The 'Andromeda Galaxy' is the nearest large galaxy to our own. In 2.5 billion years it will merge with our Milky Way to form a giant elliptical galaxy. M 31 is home to a trillion stars and was described by the Persian astronomer Al-Sufi in 964. It is unusually rich in globular clusters for a spiral galaxy, harboring at least 500 of them. M 32, the bright globular cluster to the left of the nucleus of M 31, is responsible for some of the disturbances in the spiral structure of M 31. M110, the dwarf elliptical galaxy to the lower right, shows a faint, dusty lane to M 31. This also speaks of a past encounter with M 31. The black hole at the center of M 31 has a mass of about 30 million Suns. It is possible that the center of M 31 contains two nuclei. | |
| Constellation: | Andromeda | |
| Distance: | ~2.9 million light years | |
| Apparent Size: | 3.1o x 1.0o (This is almost 7 times the width of a full Moon.) | |
| Date: | 15, 17, and 18 september 2007 | |
| Equipment: | AP130, STL11000, AP Mach 1 | |
| Total Exposure: | RGB: 3--3--3.2 hours, unbinned (Astrodons) | |