Key Information
Andromeda Galaxy
| Type | Galaxy (barred spiral) |
| Diameter | 220,000 light years |
| Distance | 2,540,000 light years |
| Total Stars | About 1 trillion |
| Date of Discovery | Unknown |
| Other Names | M31, NGC 224 |
Learning Point
- Andromeda is a huge spiral galaxy that is “close” to our Milky Way, and of a similar size and construction. It is possible to see it with the naked eye, and has been known since ancient times.
Project
- Draw the Andromeda Galaxy.
- Overview
- Galaxy Structures
Location
| Located in | Andromeda constellation, within the Local Cluster (of galaxies) |
Fun Facts
- The Andromeda Nebula, is a barred spiral galaxy with diameter of about 220,000 ly approximately 2.5 million light-years from us.
- It is thought the mass (weight) of the Andromeda Galaxy is slighty less than that of our Milky Way Galaxy.
- German astronomer Simon Marius gave an early description of the Andromeda Galaxy using a telescope in 1612.
- Nearby stars around the Andromeda Galaxy have recently been identified as belonging to the galaxy, which may increase its size more than we had previously thought.
- Mayall II is a globular cluster in the Andromeda Galaxy that is larger than any other known cluster of stars nearby to our galaxy, and might have been a dwarf galaxy swallowed by the Andromeda Galaxy.
Past Lessons
| 40 | July 12, 2022 | (North America) |
| 114 | May 4, 2023 | (International) |
| 267 | August 31, 2026 | (North America) |