Welcome!
My name is Janine and in this video we're going to explore the object known as Messier
31, also more commonly known as the Andromeda Galaxy.
Andromeda Galaxy is really large.
It's 200,000 light years in diameter which is twice the size of our own Milky Way Galaxy.
It's one of the objects in the autumn sky, if you're living in the Northern Hemisphere,
in which you can see with the naked eye.
It's estimated to be 2.5 million light years away.
So let's take a closer look at how to find this and some of the characteristics of this
Galaxy.
Here we have a star map showing the constellation of Andromeda and some of the celestial objects
that are seated in the boundaries of this constellation.
If you want to know how to find Andromeda, go see that video.
In this video, we're gonna focus on the Andromeda Galaxy and some of its unique characteristics.
Keep in mind that the Andromeda Galaxy is not the only celestial object within Andromeda.
We have the Snowball Nebula, which is a planetary nebula.
It looks very beautiful right here.
There's also satellite galaxies that are going around the Andromeda Galaxy.
Here is another one called NGC 891, another edge on spiral galaxy that we can see.
Then, NGC 752 is an open star cluster.
So, how can you find the Andromeda Galaxy?
Let's look at this photo because there's quite a few constellations we can see here.
Right here, this is Cassiopeia.
You can use this little arrow part of Cassiopeia to guide you down towards Andromeda.
Can you find that fuzzy patch of light?
If we were to point everything out here: this is Cassiopeia, use the little arrow to aim
you down towards the Andromeda Galaxy, and here is Andromeda.
So for this video, we're gonna focus on the Andromeda Galaxy, which is also called Messier
object 31.
It's classified as a barred spiral galaxy that's estimated to be 2.5 million light years
away.
There's no shortage of information on this galaxy because it's a favorite for amateur
astronomers to photograph- or astrophotographers to photograph- because it's one of those objects
that you can clearly find in the night sky.
Since it's one of the closer galaxies toward our own Milky Way Galaxy, it's one that is
studied a lot by astronomers.
It also has the satellite galaxies.
There's a total of 15 satellite galaxies around Andromeda.
The ones I want to bring your attention to are right here.
This is Messier 32.
It's identified as an elliptical satellite galaxy.
Then, right down here, is Messier 110.
This is a dwarf elliptical galaxy.
So these satellite galaxies, much like the satellite galaxies of the Milky Way, have
older, more gas, poor stars, that can be seen within those galaxies.
Here is another image taken by David Cocklin.
He's an astrophotographer in the U.K.
You can see the beautiful Andromeda Galaxy right here.
Keep in mind that it's 200,000 light years across.
That's twice the size of our own Milky Way Galaxy.
You can see some of the satellite galaxies right here.
Keep in mind that the Milky Way has its own satellite galaxies as well as the Andromeda
galaxies.
Eventually these two, the Milky Way and the Andromeda, are on a collision course.
They will collide in 4 1/2 billion years.
So it's not gonna happen for a pretty long time.
But, as I said earlier, Andromeda is one of those galaxies that is highly studied.
So here is a picture of this galaxy in ultraviolet light.
This just allows you to see different features.
You can see the core of the galaxy right here and you can see the spiral arms coming out
from the center as well.
You can see the barred arms over here.
If we take a look at the Andromeda Galaxy in infrared, you see similar features.
But, it also shows you where the heat of the galaxy is as well.
So right within the arms.
The arms are where the youngest stars of the galaxy are located.
So they're young, blue, and hot.
This is just another version of the Andromeda Galaxy in infrared light taken by NASA's Galaxy
Evolution Explorer.
This mosaic covers an equivalent to 100 full moons.
So a lot of data has been collected on the Andromeda Galaxy.
What's interesting enough is the most famous galaxy pictures that we have of Andromeda
is this one taken by the Hubble Space Telescope.
I will leave the link to this photo in the description down below.
But, you can scroll in and zoom into this photo and see a great amount of detail.
This picture was taken over the course of 3 years.
The total exposure time is 16.1 days.
It took the Hubble certain periods of 2010-2013 to put this whole mosaic together.
It was a total of 394 hours.
So this is a really beautiful galaxy to just view and we have a lot of data on it.
So just try to explore some of those resources that I put in the video description just to
learn and explore more about Andromeda.
As I said earlier, there is a collision that will happen in 4 billion years.
So here you have the Milky Way.
The Sun is about 2/3 of the way out from the center of the Milky Way.
Then, you have the Triangulum Galaxy which is one galaxy you can find close by in the
sky to Andromeda.
If you want to learn more about that, go see that video.
But, M33 is the Triangulum Galaxy.
M31 is the Andromeda Galaxy.
Then, 4 billion years they will collide.
Here is one more photo I have for you that shows how you can find 2 of these galaxies.
This is a picture of Andromeda.
Unfortunately, some of the constellation is being hidden by this telescope.
This is the very large telescope that shows the Chilean sky.
It's very gorgeous.
You can see the Andromeda Galaxy right here.
This is the Triangulum Galaxy.
If you find Andromeda and draw a line through the Beta star of Andromeda, that's where Triangulum
is.
So these are 2 galaxies that are on a collision course of our own Milky Way Galaxy.
We've come to the end of our video about the Andromeda Galaxy.
I hoped you learned some strategies on how to find this galaxy as well as some cool facts
and resources about it.
Remember that the Andromeda Galaxy is considered to be the jewel of the autumn sky, because
it's one of the points in the sky that you can see with the unaided it.
It has the oldest light you will ever see with the unaided eye.
It takes 2.5 million light years to see light from the Andromeda Galaxy.
It takes that long for it to reach Earth.
So, if you're trying to find the Andromeda Galaxy, this is the star pattern you are most
likely to see.
Kind of a curved v-like shape.
You start right here at the head of Andromeda; count 1, 2, 3; then move over 1, 2, 3.
So that's the strategy I learned on how to find this constellation.
I wish you luck trying to find the Andromeda Galaxy.
It's a really beautiful object to see; not only with the unaided eye.
If you have the privilege to see it in a telescope it really is such a beautiful sight.
Remember it takes time, patience, and practice to find these objects in the sky.
I wish you luck and keep looking up!
I'd like to send a huge shout out and thank you to David Cocklin for allowing me to use
his amazing photos for this video.
Be sure to check him out on twitter.