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Andromeda Galaxy
Andromeda Galaxy The spiral galaxy nearest to our own, and the largest member of the Local Group; also called M31 and NGC 224. It lies 2.5 million l.y. away and is visible to the naked eye as an elongated patch of light of total magnitude 3.4 in the constellation Andromeda. The Andromeda Galaxy has two arms and is classified as an Sb spiral. Its total mass is over 400 billion solar masses, slightly more massive than our own Galaxy. On long-exposure photographs it can be traced across over 4° of sky, corresponding to a diameter of about 150 000 l.y. It has around 600 globular clusters, over three times as many as our own Galaxy. There are two close dwarf elliptical companion galaxies, both of 8th magnitude: M32 (NGC 221), and NGC 205 (sometimes known as M110), plus more than ten dwarf spheroidal systems.
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"Andromeda Galaxy." A Dictionary of Astronomy. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 25 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Andromeda Galaxy." A Dictionary of Astronomy. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (May 25, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O80-AndromedaGalaxy.html "Andromeda Galaxy." A Dictionary of Astronomy. 1997. Retrieved May 25, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O80-AndromedaGalaxy.html |
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Andromeda Galaxy
Andromeda Galaxy cataloged as M31 and NGC 224, the closest large galaxy to the Milky Way and the only one visible to the naked eye in the Northern Hemisphere. It is also known as the Great Nebula in Andromeda. It is 2.2 million light-years away and is part of the Local Group of several galaxies that includes the Milky Way, which it resembles in shape and composition. It has a diameter of about 165,000 light-years and contains at least 200 billion stars. Its two brightest companion galaxies are M32 and M110. The light arriving at earth from the Andromeda Galaxy is shifted toward the blue end of the spectrum, whereas the light from all other cosmic sources exhibits red shift . |
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"Andromeda Galaxy." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 25 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Andromeda Galaxy." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 25, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-AndromGal.html "Andromeda Galaxy." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 25, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-AndromGal.html |
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Andromeda Galaxy
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"Andromeda Galaxy." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 25 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Andromeda Galaxy." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 25, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-AndromedaGalaxy.html "Andromeda Galaxy." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved May 25, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-AndromedaGalaxy.html |
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