M31 The Andromeda Galaxy

M31 RGB LRGB Oct 08_edited Andromeda, M31, is the largest galaxy of the Local Group, which consists of the Andromeda Galaxy, the Milky Way Galaxy, the Triangulum galaxy M33, and about 30 other smaller galaxies. Recent observations by NASA revealed that M31 contains one trillion stars, greatly exceeding the number of stars in our own galaxy, even though both are about the same size. The bad news is that Andromeda is on a collision course with our galaxy, the Milky Way. The good news is that it won't happen for 5 billion years, at which time even the Earth will be gone, burned to a cinder by the dying Sun as it turns into a red giant, whose surface will reach out to Jupiter. Date: 10/10/2008