Andromeda Galaxy, in the constellation Andromeda, is enormous in our sky -- about 3°, or the size of six full moons lined up! Being so large and bright, our ancestors could easily see it naked-eye in their dark skies but they never understood what it was.
Today, we know that Andromeda is the nearest spiral galaxy to our own Milky Way Galaxy. It has perhaps a trillion stars, over twice as many as our galaxy.
Do you see the small but bright object just below Andromeda? It is dwarf galaxy M110. And that bright 'star' to the left of Andromeda's core is actually dwarf galaxy M32. Andromeda is also known as M31.
Viewing Andromeda Galaxy/M31
Level
Moderate
Rating
Best Viewing
Late September to mid-January
Find
Find Alpheratz, the top-left star of the Great Square of Pegasus. Then star hop twice to the left to Mirach. Turn right and star hop twice to Andromeda. Unless you are at a very dark site, you'll need a binocular or telescope to see it.
Look for a large glowing orb. You might be able to see some structure if you look carefully and keep the binocular very steady.
View the bright central bulge. Look for spiral structure. Look for companions M33 and M110.
