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Sky-Tonight.com / Nebulae / M31

Andromeda Galaxy (M31) Observation Details

M31

M31 Daily Motion


M31 will be visible until March, 11, when it will move too close to the Sun. During this time, its proximity to the Sun will cause it to disappear from the night sky, making it unobservable for a while.

M31 Visibility Timetable on December 21

Rise and Set Timetable

TimeElevation
Sunset17:0867°
Civil sunset17:4073°
Astrosession begin18:4886°
M31 transit19:1089°
Moon Rise, 57% illuminated23:5038°
M31 set04:18
Astrosession end06:13-8°
M31 rise09:58
Moon Set12:2418°

Track M31 Position Throughout the Night

← Sat, 21 December 2024 →

Elevation (degrees)
Time
Altitude
Azimuth
Shift the map to change the time and observe M31 changing position in the night sky.

M31 - Andromeda Galaxy

The Andromeda Galaxy (M31) is a spiral galaxy located in the constellation Andromeda. It was observed by Persian astronomer Abd al-Rahman al-Sufi in 964 and cataloged by Charles Messier in 1764. M31 is the nearest spiral galaxy to the Milky Way and is on a collision course with our galaxy.

M31 spans about 220,000 light-years across and contains approximately one trillion stars. The galaxy is approximately 2.54 million light-years away from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 3.4, making it visible to the naked eye under dark skies.

M31 Image Gallery

DSS Blue

M31 photo taken with blue filter
These images are valuable for highlighting the presence of younger, hotter stars, which emit more light in the blue wavelengths.

DSS Red

M31 photo taken with red filter
These images are excellent for detecting older, cooler stars, as well as emission nebulae, which glow primarily in the red due to hydrogen alpha emissions.

DSS Near-Infrared

M31 photo taken with Near-Infrared filter
These images can penetrate dust clouds that obscure visible light, revealing structures and objects hidden within.

DSS Composite image

M31 color image
DSS Color images are composite images created by combining the blue, red, and often near-infrared images to produce a full-color representation.

The photos are taken from the Digitized Sky Survey 2 (DSS2), which was produced at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) under NASA contract, using data from the UK Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), the European Southern Observatory (ESO), and the National Geographic Society-Palomar Observatory Sky Survey (POSS II).

Special thanks to the National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO), the Royal Observatory, Edinburgh, and the California Institute of Technology for their significant contributions.

Finder Chart for M31

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Object nameM31
Field of view
Limiting magnitude
M31 coordinates0.71232, 41.26906
Center coordinates0.71232, 41.26906

M31 Passage Through Night

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Current position of M31

Time07:33
Latitude39.9625
Longitude-83.0061
M31 elevation-9°
M31 Azimuth-4°
Here you can see the current position of the M31 on the map, as well as its positions for rise and set. This tool allows you to track the M31's movement throughout the night, providing you with accurate and up-to-date information.

Annual motion of M31

Time
DateSun, 22 December 2024
Twighlight start18:44
Twighlight end06:07
Twighlight duration11h 23m
Rise09:58
Set04:14
Elevation at transit89°
Transit time19:06
Equatorial coordinateRA: 00h 42m 44s", Dec: 41° 16' 08s
Magnitude3
ConstellationAndromeda
The graph illustrates the annual visibility pattern of a M31, providing a comprehensive overview of its daily appearances and transit times throughout the year.
The graph is structured with the vertical axis showing the hours of the day, ranging from 12 AM to 12 AM the next day, while the horizontal axis spans each day of the year.
The reddish shaded area indicates the periods when the M31 is above the horizon, visible to observers. The white line marks the times when the celestial object reaches its highest point in the sky each day, known as the transit.

Data Credits

The nebulae information on this page is sourced from the OpenNGC project, developed by Matteo Verga. OpenNGC provides detailed data on the NGC catalog, which is a valuable resource for exploring deep-sky objects such as nebulae.

For more details or to contribute to OpenNGC, visit the official GitHub repository: OpenNGC on GitHub.