Andromeda is one of the most famous constellations in the northern sky. It contains M31 (Andromeda Galaxy), the nearest spiral galaxy.
The main stars in Andromeda form a chain of stars. Starting from the rectangle of Pegasus, the three brightest stars Sirrah (α And), Mirach (β And) and Alamak (γ And) are almost on a line. As with other constellations, the visible stars here belong to our galaxy, they are no more than 1300 light-years away.
7–8° northwest of Mirach is the known Andromeda Galaxy (M31), the large galaxy neighbouring our Milky Way, which is visible to the naked eye under favourable conditions. The distance is about 2. 5 million light-years.
| Andromeda | |
|---|---|
| Latin name | Andromeda |
| Latin genitive | Andromedae |
| Abbreviation | And |
| Brightest star | Alpheratz (α Andromedae) |
| Fully visible | 90° N to 37° S |
| Observation time for Central Europe | all year round |
