Andromeda Galaxy (M31)

The Andromeda Galaxy (M31), constellation Andromeda — a spiral galaxy of type Sb, the nearest large galaxy to the Milky Way. It contains approximately 1 trillion stars, which is 2.5 to 5 times more than the Milky Way. Distance to Earth: 2.52 ± 0.14 million light-years. Image detail. Stack of 12 frames at 120s, 12 frames at 300s with ISO800, and 12 frames at 600s with ISO1600, HDR. HEQ-5 Pro mount, autoguiding, dithering. Canon 450D, Nikkor 300mm f/4.5 ED lens (F/D=5.5). Full calibration. Processed in DSS (stacking) and Adobe Lightroom. North is to the right. Captured in the area of the Novye Gorki tract, Chernsky district, Tula region, on October 4 and 21, 2015.