Spitzer's Stunning Portrait of Andromeda

Universe Today. ^ | Oct 14, 2005 | Staff

[theFIRMbss]

>You can see the Andromeda Galaxy with the naked eye alone if you have a dark enough sky. Star hop from Mirach to the star in the opposite 'leg' to Andromeda. It will look like a fuzzy patch

Yes, I have seen it,
from Arizona, easy,
and Chicago, hard.

Here is a great site,
with info and pictures for
the MESSIER group:

SEDS THE MESSIER CATALOG

[clyde asbury]

Mag 3 .. that's surprising. When I'm in bright skies, I haven't checked for it since I've assumed it couldn't be seen.

I am still surprised at the dim galaxies my 10" Meade will show. 13th mag galaxies are almost always easy with it. Almost never any detail, but they're visible in multitudes.

[UnbelievingScumOnTheOtherSide]

"Andromeda is moving toward our galaxy, I believe, and will some day crash right into us."

Minorities and children most affected.

Bush's fault. (cut funding for a category 5 galactic collision deflection system)

[UnbelievingScumOnTheOtherSide]

Mag 3 .. that's surprising. When I'm in bright skies, I haven't checked for it since I've assumed it couldn't be seen.

Every galaxy has the same apparent brightness as an equivalent sized patch of the Milky Way (luminosity law). If the area is large enough, the total brighness can be quite high. But the area it is spread over makes it a problem of contrast. Andromeda is large enough that if you can see the Milky Way, you can see Andromeda.

[Drammach]

The Milky Way would be similar in appearance to Andromeda, or, M88..

[RightWhale]

Mag 3 .. that's surprising

Try it. The way the eye works if you look directly at it it disappears, but if you focus slightly to one side, there it is.

[evolved_rage]

It looks like an enormous red eye that has lost something....

[clyde asbury]

From SEDS:

"From their massive survey of stars near the heart of our Milky Way Galaxy, these astronomers [University of Wisconsin astronomers using the Spitzer Space Telescope of NASA] found evidence that the Milky Way probably has a definitive, large bar feature measuring about 27,000 light-years in length, making it look as shown in above illustration, where the position of our solar system is indicated. The survey sampled the light from an estimated 30 million stars in the Galactic plane."

"These results give evidence that the Milky Way Galaxy is probably to be classified as a barred spiral galaxy of type SBb to SBc, or SB(rs)bc."

[solitas]

who is he?

[clyde asbury]

I will. In the city, away from the immediate lights, I bet it's surprising what you can see.

[Black Tooth]

One of my favorite images of M-31.

Enjoy.

[ovrtaxt]

I remember Diogenesis' 'Gotta See This' threads- still the best newscasts I've ever seen! He always ended it with an astronomy pic to put it all in perspective.

Dio, where are you!?!?

[ovrtaxt]

Ever tried driving an Andromeda?

Yeah. It can go 183,000 miles per second, but it still takes you 25 million years to get to the corner store.

[ovrtaxt]

You can probably get some insight into that by studying the merging of two hurricanes.

[solitas]

here's a few more from APOD:

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap031222.html
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap040718.html
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap021021.html
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000121.html
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap991114.html
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap971101.html

Aw hell, here's APOD - YOU find 'em all! http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html

[Bernard Marx]

Wow!

[mad_as_he$$]

You know at this rate someday we will be able to look far enough to see our own a$$es!

[mad_as_he$$]

Sorry but the Andromeda Ascendant uses worm hole / hyperspace technology not warp drive! Both invented by Rodenberry........lol

[ovrtaxt]

I'm not gonna post that pic!

[kanawa]

That is a beauty!

Btw I can relate to your tag line.
I can't think of a better time than camping far from the city on a warm summer night with the stars blazing above me and my dog at my side.
Just us and One other.