Andromeda Galaxy (M31)

August 4-6, 2025 (Calhoun County Park, WV)

he Andromeda Galaxy, also known as Messier 31 (M31), is a majestic spiral galaxy located about 2.5 million light-years away from Earth in the constellation Andromeda. It is the nearest spiral galaxy to our Milky Way and the largest member of the Local Group of galaxies, which also includes our galaxy and the Triangulum Galaxy (M33).

Andromeda spans approximately 220,000 light-years across, making it significantly larger than our Milky Way. It features a prominent central bulge surrounded by sweeping spiral arms filled with billions of stars, gas, and dust. Its core hosts a supermassive black hole at least 100 million times the mass of our Sun.

The Andromeda Galaxy is visible to the naked eye from dark sky locations and appears as a faint, elongated patch of light. It is a favorite target for both amateur and professional astronomers due to its size, proximity, and the wealth of information it provides about galaxy formation, structure, and evolution.