Andromeda is the nearest spiral galaxy to the Milky Way, around 2.5 million light-years away. Once thought to be a twin of our galaxy, its different structure is very evident in infrared light. While it is a spiral galaxy, its dust falls largely in a huge ring structure, possibly caused by gravitational interactions with its smaller satellite galaxies.
Optical: This is the classic visible view of the Andromeda Galaxy Infrared: Andromeda's dust ring stands out in the infrared
Greg Bacon (STScI): Visualizer Karl Gordon (The University of Arizona): Image Processing Leann Johnson (Global Science and Technology, Inc.): Technical Support
Please give credit for this item to: Video: NASA, ESA, and G. Bacon (STScI) Image Credits:
Optical: NOAO, AURA/NSF
Infrared: NASA, JPL-Caltech, K. Gordon (University of Arizona)
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