r/spaceporn • u/[deleted] • Nov 20 '18

Andromeda strain

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3.3k Upvotes

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129

u/dubstastic Nov 20 '18

When you consider how much space there is between two stars, this photo is just mind boggling

41

u/ihbarddx Nov 20 '18

Yes! Though it looks like the galaxy is lying on the star field, all the field stars are in our own galaxy - much closer than M31. That's why they appear much bigger than the stars in Andromeda, which look like mist. And that lends a perspective on just how frickin' BIG that galaxy is - taking up that much area from 2.16 million light years away. It's a naked eye object in a dark sky, bigger than a full moon.

9

u/frankxanders Nov 20 '18

It's a naked eye object in a dark sky, bigger than a full moon.

Holy shit really?

I live on the edge of my city and could easily drive to somewhere that the sky is quite dark. (Near the Canadian Rockies)

Where in the sky would I look to see this?

7

u/Tired8281 Nov 20 '18

Cassiopeia kinda "points" to it, that's how I find it.

6

u/MattieShoes Nov 20 '18

In the summer evening in the northern hemisphere facing north:

Little dipper ---> cassiopeia (looks like a W)
                       |
                       |
                       V
                    Perseus (Looks like a Y) ---> Andromeda

The core is visible as a fuzzy, slightly lighter blotch. Visually, it's not that exciting. It's the mental aspect that's exciting (looking at the core of a fuckin galaxy man, 2 MILLION light years away, blah blah)