M31: The Andromeda Galaxy

Discover the universe! Each day a different image or photograph of our universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

January 19

M31 is about The AndromedaGalaxy.
The image was taken from the Hubble, NAOJ, and Mayall.
R. Gendler and R. Croman own the rights to the processing and Copyright.

M31 is the most distant object that can be seen by the eye. Even at some two and a half million light-years distant, this immense spiral galaxy is visible, although as a faint, nebulous cloud in the constellation Andromeda. In contrast, a bright yellow nucleus, dark winding dust lanes, and expansive spiral arms dotted with blue star clusters and red nebulae are recorded in this stunning telescopic image which combines data from Hubble with ground-based images. It will be easier to see the Andromeda galaxy in 5 billion years because it will span the entire night sky.

The picture is of open space.

The authors are Robert Nemiroff and Jerry Bonnell.
Phillip Newman has specific rights.
NASA has a web privacy policy.
There is a service at NASA.
& Michigan Tech. U.

Page 2

Discover the universe! Each day a different image or photograph of our universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

January 20 is 2022.
See the explanation. Clicking on the picture will take you to a website.
The highest resolution version is available.

In Cepheus, there is a NGC 7822.
Mark Carter has the rights to the image.

There are hot, young stars and pillars of gas and dust in the picture. The glowing star forming region lies about 3000 light-years away at the edge of a giant cloud. There are bright edges and dark shapes in this telescopic skyscape. Data from narrowband filters show emission from atomic oxygen, hydrogen, and sulfur into blue, green, and red colors. The emission line and color combination have become well-known. The emission is powered by the hot stars. Their powerful winds and radiation sculpt and erode the denser pillar shapes and clear out the characteristic light-years across the center of the cloud. As the pillars are eroded away, any forming stars will be cut off from their star stuff. The field of view spans 40 light-years.

The picture is in space.

The authors are Robert Nemiroff and Jerry Bonnell.
Phillip Newman has specific rights.
NASA has a web privacy policy.
There is a service at NASA.
& Michigan Tech. U.