Andromeda - our neighbor galaxy in the autumn sky
When sunsets start sooner and evenings get colder, don’t be fooled by your warm sheets. Instead go outside, let your eyes get used to the pitch black colour of the sky and look at its north-east. You should see a bunch of stars which form a W like shape and a small smudge of light. It’s Andromeda which is the closest big spiral galaxy to Earth.
Even though we can state that the distance is relatively short, we don’t really mean it. In fact, Andromeda is approximately 2.52 million light years away which equals 2.37x1019 kilometers. Furthermore, it hasn’t always been that way. For over a century astronomers have been observing that the majority of galaxies are racing away from the Milky Way as the universe expands. Of course, every rule has its own exceptions. An exception in this situation is the Andromeda galaxy. It is situated at a distance where those two can attract each other gravitationally, so they are constantly pulling closer and closer as the years pass. Astronomers believe that there’s a 50% chance for the galaxies to collide, making our sky full of light even at night.
Even though the collision of those two is possible, don’t worry about Earth. As the distances are enormous, the impact will be perceptible in about 2-4 billion years. The Andromeda will be visible in our sky for centuries., Remember that autumn is the best time for observations. That’s why you should drop your excuses and rush outside to see our long distance neighbour!
Page design: Pola Kurek
Bibliography:
Andromeda Galaxy Distance to Earth. (2023, May 31). Astrophotography Lens. https://astrophotographylens.com/blogs/astro/andromeda-galaxy-distance-to-earth
Hyperwall, N. (2018, May 23). Hyperwall: Crash of the Titans: Milky Way & Andromeda Collision. Svs.Gsfc.Nasa.Gov. https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/30955
Andromeda (M31) – galaktyka. (2025, December 2). Atlas Wszechświata. https://atlas-wszechswiata.pl/andromeda-m31-galaktyka/
Cosmos. (2024). DK Publishing (Dorling Kindersley).
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