Feed your head with photons from Andromeda
24 Aug 2012, 18:42 UTC
Bob King
Two nights ago I was out with a group under the night sky around 11 o’clock. We were a good distance from city lights with dark sky all around. The W-shape of Cassiopeia stood high in the northeastern sky. I … Continue reading →
The Andromeda Galaxy as it appears in binoculars with a bright center set in a fainter, saucer-shaped disk. Photo: Bob King
Two nights ago I was out with a group under the night sky around 11 o’clock. We were a good distance from city lights with dark sky all around. The W-shape of Cassiopeia stood high in the northeastern sky. I love the W not just for its easy-to-recognize outline but because it can take you places. The farthest place it points is the most remote object typically visible with the naked eye – the Andromeda Galaxy.
Subtle spiral structure is visible in this photo of the Andromeda Galaxy taken with a 200mm lens. One of its companion galaxies, M32, is visible at upper left. The view approximates what you’d see in an 8-inch or larger telescope. Photo: Bob King
The galaxy looks like an unassuming small, fuzzy patch of light, but don’t let it fool ...
