Astronomy Picture of the Day - Andromeda over Patagonia

APOD.NASA.gov ^ | 25 Nov, 2020 | Image Credit & Copyright: Gerardo Ferrarino

[MtnClimber]

Explanation: How far can you see? The Andromeda Galaxy at 2.5 million light years away is the most distant object easily seen with your unaided eye. Most other apparent denizens of the night sky -- stars, clusters, and nebulae -- typically range from a few hundred to a few thousand light-years away and lie well within our own Milky Way Galaxy. Given its distance, light from Andromeda is likely also the oldest light that you can see. Also known as M31, the Andromeda Galaxy dominates the center of the featured zoomed image, taken from the dunes of Bahía Creek, Patagonia, in southern Argentina. The image is a combination of 45 background images with one foreground image -- all taken with the same camera and from the same location within 90 minutes. M110, a satellite galaxy of Andromeda is visible just below and to the left of M31's core. As cool as it may be to see this neighboring galaxy to our Milky Way with your own eyes, long duration camera exposures can pick up many faint and breathtaking details. Recent data indicates that our Milky Way Galaxy will collide and combine with the similarly-sized Andromeda galaxy in a few billion years.

[MtnClimber]

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For more detail go to the link and click on the image for a high definition image. You can then zoom by moving the magnifying glass over an area and then clicking. The side bars will move the zoomed area over the photograph.

[MtnClimber]

[MtnClimber]

High resolution Andromeda photo

[MtnClimber]

Pinging the APOD list.

🪐 🌟 🌌

Hidden in the explanation links is a "Cool Cat" wearing glasses.

[PROCON]

*Sigh*, I miss the Uranus astronomy threads, now those were fun, many great posts! 😁😁

[Larry Lucido]

So you're an astronomer!

[Repeal The 17th]

The cat is “cool”.

[BenLurkin]

Always liked Andromeda...

[ETL]

Wow! Great pic!

[MtnClimber]

I have never been to Patagonia, but I have done lots of star gazing from high peaks in the Andes in South America while on mountain climbing trips.

[doorgunner69]

“The image is a combination of 45 background images with one foreground image — all taken with the same camera and from the same location within 90 minutes. “

Oh great, there goes my dreams of getting that shot. Heck, I have trouble finding the darn thing.

[SuperLuminal]

Speaking of fantasies...
I'd sure like to know the details of what was going on in the 300-years (our time) she was trapped near that event horizon...
If I had been captain, I would have made a determined effort with the few hours (Andromeda time) available...

[MtnClimber]

With all of those photographs combined, you would think he could have put a picture of a cheeseburger in there somewhere.