NASA’s Earth-orbiting Hubble Space Telescope has just released the most detailed astronomical survey of Andromeda, the closest galaxy to the Milky Way. The resulting image, a colossal photomosaic stitched together from 600 different fields of view and consisting of at least 2.5 billion pixels, took over a decade to create and was presented last week at an American Astronomical Society meeting.
The new image also provides crucial insights into Andromeda’s evolutionary history. Kenneth Sembach, an astronomer at the Space Telescope Science Institute, noted that Hubble has long been a symbol of scientific achievement, showcasing humanity’s connection to the universe. This recent work continues to prove its value as a tool for understanding our cosmic neighbors.
Andromeda, officially known as Messier 31, is located about 2.5 million light-years from Earth and appears as a fuzzy cigar shape on clear, dark nights. Thanks to two Hubble programs that combined data over more than a decade, the telescope captured both hemispheres of this galaxy, which is tilted at a 77-degree angle relative to our viewing perspective.
Benjamin Williams, astronomer and lead investigator for the project, emphasized how Hubble’s observations offer unprecedented detail about Andromeda as a whole. This level of resolution could reveal clues about its history, including past mergers and interactions with neighboring galaxies.
Daniel Weisz described Andromeda as “a train wreck,” suggesting it may have undergone significant events that led to its current state. Edwin Hubble’s discovery of Andromeda over 100 years ago marked a pivotal moment in astronomy, demonstrating the universe’s vastness beyond the Milky Way.
The Hubble photomosaic also highlights the limitations of space telescopes like ours, which can only detect stars brighter than our sun. While it identified more than 200 million stars in Andromeda, this is still far less than the estimated one trillion stars in the galaxy.
Despite these limitations, the image represents a significant leap forward in understanding our cosmic neighbor. Edwin Hubble’s groundbreaking discovery of Andromeda was first announced to the public after it had already been confirmed by colleagues. This recognition marked the beginning of a new era in astronomy and showed how quickly discoveries can transform our perception of the universe.
Looking ahead, future space telescopes like NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope and the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope promise to build on these findings, offering even deeper insights into Andromeda’s history and the broader cosmos.
Source: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/check-out-the-hubble-space-telescopes-stunning-new-view-of-the-andromeda-galaxy-180985882