The center of the Andromeda galaxy is beautiful but strange. Andromeda [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…], indexed as M31, is so close to our own Milky Way Galaxy [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] that it gives a unique perspective into galaxy composition by allowing us to see into its core. Billions of stars swarm around a center that has two nuclei [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] and likely houses a supermassive black hole [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] over 5 million times the mass of our Sun [ http://www.nineplan…]. M31 is about two million light years away and visible with the unaided eye towards the constellation [ http://www.astronom…] of Andromeda, the princess [ http://www.windows.…]. Pictured above [ http://www.robgendl…], dark knots [ http://en.wikipedia…] of dust [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] are seen superposed on the inner 10,000 light years [ http://chandra.harv…] of M31's core. The brighter stars are foreground stars located in our Milky Way Galaxy [ http://cassfos02.uc…].
Explanation
The center of the Andromeda galaxy is beautiful but strange. Andromeda [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…], indexed as M31, is so close to our own Milky Way Galaxy [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] that it gives a unique perspective into galaxy composition by allowing us to see into its core. Billions of stars swarm around a center that has two nuclei [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] and likely houses a supermassive black hole [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] over 5 million times the mass of our Sun [ http://www.nineplan…]. M31 is about two million light years away and visible with the unaided eye towards the constellation [ http://www.astronom…] of Andromeda, the princess [ http://www.windows.…]. Pictured above [ http://www.robgendl…], dark knots [ http://en.wikipedia…] of dust [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] are seen superposed on the inner 10,000 light years [ http://chandra.harv…] of M31's core. The brighter stars are foreground stars located in our Milky Way Galaxy [ http://cassfos02.uc…].
