Andromeda Galaxy

Written by Rena Woss Monday, 06 April 2009 00:00

The universe contains trillions of vast islands of stars that we call galaxies. One of the easiest and most rewarding to observe is Andromeda. At 2.5 million light years away, it is one of our closest galactic neighbors. Andromeda is so large and bright that on a moonless night, away from the glare of city lights, you can actually see it with your own eyes as a faint smudge in the night sky. In the city, a pair of binoculars will help you easily find it. As you can see from this picture, Andromeda has a beautiful spiral shape to it, much as we imagine our own Milky Way galaxy to have. It is named after a princess in Greek mythology, and can be found in the constellation of Andromeda. Visit us at the Lethbridge Astronomy Society the last Saturday of the month (September to March) to see Andromeda and many other celestial wonders of the night sky.