M 31 — The Andromeda Galaxy

Target & processing

Messier 31, the Andromeda Galaxy, appears as a bright, hazy patch in the northwestern sky, its central core glowing with a steady, otherworldly light. As a distant, active galactic nucleus, it is a remnant of a supernova that energized a supermassive black hole at its center. The galaxy resides in the constellation Andromeda, whose shape and stars stretch across the northern sky like a celestial tapestry. At 2,544,020 light-years from Earth, Messier 31 is a cosmic behemoth, a reminder of the universe's vast, uncharted expanse.