The Andromeda Galaxy, also known as Messier 31, M31, or NGC 224, is a spiral galaxy approximately 2,5 million light-years from Earth, and the nearest

The Andromeda Galaxy, also known as Messier 31, M31, or NGC 224, is a spiral galaxy approximately 2, 5 million light-years from Earth, and the nearest major galaxy to the Milky Way. Its name stems from the area of the sky in which it appears, the constellation of Andromeda. The Andromeda Galaxy contains approximately one trillion stars, making it more than twice more populated than the Milky Way. Spanning approximately 220000 light-years, it is the largest galaxy in our Local Group. The Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies are expected to collide in 4, 5 billion years, merging to form a giant elliptical galaxy. This image was created from photographic material taken with the 1.22-metre Oschin Telescope at Mount Palomar Observatory, forming part of the Digitized Sky Survey 2.