The Andromeda Galaxy

The Andromeda Galaxy

Andromeda is our closest neighbor galaxy, located around 2.5 million light years away from us. It’s one of these object I come back to again and again, mainly because I did not yet get a capture I’m happy with. Now, this one is different and I like it a lot.

Did you know, that Andromeda is actually moving in our direction and eventually will merge with our milky way? No need to be scared though. Scientists calculated, that the merger will begin in 3 to 4 million years and will take approximately 3 million years to complete, forming an elliptical galaxy. There are signs though, that the outer regions of both galaxies already started to collide.

Exposure: 8hrs 5min

Setup

  • Scope: Askar 103APO
  • Lens: Askar 0.6x Reducer
  • Camera: Canon EOS 6Da
  • Filter: Antlia TriBand RGB Ultra
  • Mount: Skywatcher AZ-EQ5 GT
  • Guiding: Svbony SV165 Guide Scope with ZWO ASI 224MC
  • Controller: ZWO ASIAir Pro

Objects

  • M 31 (NGC 224)
  • M 32 (NGC 221)
  • M 110 (NGC 205)
  • NGC 206