![[m31.jpg]](m31.jpg)
Andromeda Galaxy
| Right Ascension | 00 : 42.7 (h:m) |
|---|---|
| Declination | +41 : 16 (deg:m) |
| Distance | 2900 (kly) |
| Visual Brightness | 3.4 (mag) |
| Apparent Dimension | 178x63 (arc min) |
| Discovered by | Persian Astronomer
Alsufi 10th Century |
M31 is the famous Andromeda galaxy, our nearest large neighbor galaxy, forming the Local Group of galaxies together with its companions (including M32 and M110, two bright dwarf elliptical galaxies), our Milky Way and its companions, M33, and others.
Some of the features mentioned above are also of interest for the amateur: Even Charles Messier found its two brightest companions, M32 and M110 which are visible in binoculars and conspicuous in small telescopes, and created a drawing of all three. These two relatively bright and relatively close companions are visible in many photos of M31, including the one in this page. They are only the brightest of a "swarm" of smaller companions which surround the Andromeda Galaxy, and form a subgroup of the Local Group. At the time of this writing (October 1999), at least 10 of them are known.
Under "normal" viewing conditions, the apparent size of the visible Andromeda Galaxy is about 3 x 1 degrees.
Messier observed M31 the Andromeda Galaxy August 3rd, 1764 "The beautiful nebula in the belt of Andromeda, shaped like a spindle." Charles Messier
Courtesy www.seds.org