Andromeda: Our Galactic Neighbor

A spiral galaxy seen from an angle
The Androma Galaxy (Messier 31), as seen from my driveway

Many things have been said about the Andromeda Galaxy, arguably the most majestic galaxy that amateur astronomers can image due to it's sheer size in the sky—many times larger than the Moon appears to us, but also many times dimmer.

With the naked eye, even in dark skies it appears but a tiny little fuzzy patch. But once you start collecting those photons photographically with long exposures it comes to life.

Total exposure time: 17h 28'
Image resolution: 7,885 × 5,405px (1.92″/px)
Shot from my driveway near Tucson, AZ in 2022 and 2023

Telescope: William Optics RedCat 51 (250mm focal length ƒ/4.9)
Camera: ZWO ASI294MM Pro
Filters: ZWO LRGB filters, ZWO 7nm Ha filter
Mounts: iOptron CEM26, ZWO AM5

Copyright © 2024 by Thomas Fuchs. All rights reserved. You're free to use any of my images as wallpaper on your computer or phone. For other uses, including commercial use, derivative works or republishing, please contact me at thomas@slash7.com.