Messier 31 (Andromeda Galaxy)

The Andromeda Galaxy (Messier 31) is our closest large spiral galaxy, about 2.5 million light-years away. It contains hundreds of billions of stars, along with gas, dust, and dark matter, all bound by gravity. As a member of our local galaxy neighborhood, it appears as a fuzzy patch in the night sky to amateur astronomers. Over billions of years, it’s expected to eventually merge with the Milky Way. Andromeda offers valuable insights into galaxy formation and evolution, acting as a nearby example of a galaxy similar to our own, allowing astronomers to study galactic structures and dynamics up close.