Posted on 10/07/2023 12:09:00 PM PDT by MtnClimber
Explanation: This picture of Andromeda shows not only where stars are now, but where stars will be. The big, beautiful Andromeda Galaxy, M31, is a spiral galaxy a mere 2.5 million light-years away. Image data from space-based and ground-based observatories have been combined here to produce this intriguing composite view of Andromeda at wavelengths both inside and outside normally visible light. The visible light shows where M31's stars are now, highlighted in white and blue hues and imaged by the Hubble, Subaru, and Mayall telescopes. The infrared light shows where M31's future stars will soon form, highlighted in orange hues and imaged by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. The infrared light tracks enormous lanes of dust, warmed by stars, sweeping along Andromeda's spiral arms. This dust is a tracer of the galaxy's vast interstellar gas, raw material for future star formation. Of course, the new stars will likely form over the next hundred million years or so. That's well before Andromeda merges with our Milky Way Galaxy in about 5 billion years.
For more detail go to the link and click on the image for a high definition image. You can then move the magnifying glass cursor then click to zoom in and click again to zoom out. When zoomed in you can scan by moving the side bars on the bottom and right side of the image.
Wow.
I think the Hubble was worth every cent.
Will those stars be part of a future Milkdromeda Galaxy?
Too much pollen.
Not large stars like our Rigel, but smaller stars emerging the same size as our Sun could be around for the galactic fender bender when the Milky Way and Andromeda collide.
I’d like something as little greener with a high methane content indicating an abundance of cows.
“is a spiral galaxy a mere 2.5 million light-years away”
Yeah, throw rocks and hit it.
Can we do that?
“Will those stars be part of a future Milkdromeda Galaxy?”
Lol, that is what they say... Tighten your seatbelt.
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