Andromeda Galaxy
The nearest large galaxy to the Milky Way, and the most distant thing you can see without a telescope.
Andromeda in infrared
Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Andromeda (M31) is a spiral galaxy like ours, but bigger, with about a trillion stars. It is moving towards the Milky Way, and in about 4.5 billion years the two galaxies will begin to merge.
Key facts
- Type
- Spiral galaxy
- Distance
- About 2.5 million light-years
- Constellation
- Andromeda