The Andromeda Nebula

The Andromeda Nebula, now known as the Andromeda Galaxy, is a massive spiral galaxy located about 2.5 million light-years from Earth. It's one of our closest galaxy neighbors and contains hundreds of billions of stars, along with gas, dust, and dark matter. Through telescopes, it appears as a bright, swirling cloud of light, revealing its spiral arms. The galaxy is on a collision course with our Milky Way, but this cosmic event is millions of years away. Studying Andromeda helps astronomers understand galaxy formation, evolution, and our place in the universe.