Andromeda is a large constellation in the northern hemisphere of the sky that represents the daughter of Queen Cassiopeia and King Cepheus. In the Greek myth, Andromeda was chained to a rock as a sacrifice to the sea monster Cetus, but was saved from certain death by the intervention of the hero Perseus.
Alpha Andromedae (also known as Sirrah or Alpheratz) is a blue-white star of mag. 2.1. Its two alternative names derive from the Arabic meaning "horse's navel", as it was once considered to be part of neighbouring Pegasus. It now marks the head of Andromeda.
M31 (see "Messier Images" page), the great Andromeda Galaxy, one of the most famous objects in the entire sky, is the most distant object visible to the naked eye.
It is a spiral galaxy similar to our own Milky Way Galaxy, lying at a distance of 2.2 million light years away.
It appears as a slight blur with the naked eye. Binoculars show its elliptical shape more distinctly.
Long exposure photographs reveal the galaxy's spiral arms.
Our own Milky Way Galaxy is currently on a collision course with M 31.
The Planetary nebula, NGC 7662 is one of the easiest nebulae to spot with small amateur telescopes. Under high magnification it appears as a fuzzy blue-green disc with an elliptical outline.
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