Andromeda Galaxy

The Andromeda Galaxy is home to several interesting objects, including globular clusters, planetary nebulae, and supernovae. It is one of the most distant, yet easily visible objects to the eye. Since Andromeda is one of the most easily seen celestial objects, it is unclear who discovered it. However, the first written observation of the Andromeda Galaxy can be found in Persian astronomer Abd al-rahman al-Sufi's The Book of Fixed Stars which dates back to the year 964.Today's NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day is the star…

The Andromeda Galaxy is home to several interesting objects, including globular clusters, planetary nebulae, and supernovae. It is one of the most distant, yet easily visible objects to the eye. Also known as Messier 31, it is a spiral galaxy located approximately 2.5 million light-years away from Earth in the constellation Andromeda. One of the most striking features of Andromeda is its bright central region, known as the nucleus, which is home to a supermassive black hole. Apart from this, the galaxy also has spiral…

The NASA Hubble Space Telescope has captured a sensational image. The latest image taken by the in-space telescope showcases three different galaxies which are headed for a collision. While such collisions are common, this one is rare, as each of the trio is currently in the midst of producing new stars. As they combine to form a single large galaxy, the spiral structure of each will be destroyed by gravitational interactions between the three. This extremely rare triple galaxy collision is taking place in the Bootes…

Auroras are one of the most visually stunning sky phenomena visible on Earth with naked eyes. The solar particles released during interaction of a solar storm with Earth's magnetic field further interact with the various gases present in our atmosphere and form stunning Auroras. However, auroras are not the only visually-pleasing sky phenomena. One other phenomenon takes place, but it is much rarer than auroras. It is known as Airglow.According to NASA, Airglow is a type of chemiluminescence from chemical interactions…

NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day is a riveting snapshot of the Andromeda Galaxy and the oxygen-emitting blue arcs that surround it. The Andromeda Galaxy is one of the most distant, yet easily visible objects to the eye. Also known as Messier 31, it is a spiral galaxy located approximately 2.5 million light-years away from Earth in the constellation Andromeda. According to NASA, the Andromeda Galaxy is twice the size of our own Milky Way Galaxy, spanning across nearly 260,000 light-years and containing over 1…

The Andromeda Galaxy captured by the NASA Galaxy Evolution Mapper in 2012.Image: NASA/JPL-CaltechIn the quest to find the outer limits of our galaxy, astronomers have discovered over 200 stars that form the Milky Way’s edge, the most distant of which is over one million light-years away—nearly halfway to the Andromeda galaxy.The 208 stars the researchers identified are known as RR Lyrae stars, which are stars with a brightness that can change as viewed from Earth. These stars are typically old and brighten and dim at…