Photograph showing the constellation Andromeda. Andromeda is a large constellation in the northern sky, just above the galactic plane. Its three major

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Photograph showing the constellation Andromeda. Andromeda is a large constellation in the northern sky, just above the galactic plane. Its three major stars are very clearly seen here, gamma- Andromedae at top left, beta-Andromedae at centre and alpha-Andromedae at bottom right. About halfway toward top right from the centre is a fuzzy, elliptical object. This is the Andromeda Galaxy (M31, NGC224), a spiral galaxy some 675 parsecs (2,200 light years) from Earth. M31 is thus the most distant object that can be seen with the naked eye. The halo surrounding the major stars in this image has been added by a photographic process.

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Size: 5147px × 3543px
Photo credit: © JOHN SANFORD/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: andromeda, astronomy, constellation, cosmology, science, star, stars, stellar