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Galaxy

Andromeda Galaxy

The nearest large spiral galaxy to the Milky Way and the most distant object readily visible to the naked eye.

Type
Galaxy
Domain
Scientific connections
Connections
18

NASA/JPL/California Institute of Technology · NASA media (public domain)

Andromeda Galaxy Imaged by Herschel, Planck, IRAS, COBE
Andromeda Galaxy Imaged by Herschel, Planck, IRAS, COBE · ESA/NASA/JPL-Caltech/GBT/WSRT/IRAM/C. Clark (STScI)

Experience system V6

Galaxy morphology profile

A deep-sky composition that treats the object as a physical structure, not a decorative background image.

Morphology SVGAtlas contextImage provenanceGraph neighborhood
  1. 01

    Observe

    NASA imagery anchors the visual reading with licensed source metadata.

  2. 02

    Measure

    Measurement panels use graph coverage, catalog identifiers, and source availability without inventing values.

  3. 03

    Locate

    Located in Andromeda (constellation).

  4. 04

    Connect

    18 graph relations shape the knowledge viewport.

Object type
Galaxy
Graph relations
18
Verified sources
3
Image records
4
Domain
Scientific connections
Status
Graph entity

Scientific map

Atlas context

Andromeda Galaxycoordinate fields shown only when available
  • Located in

    Andromeda (constellation)

  • Studied by

    Gemini Observatory

  • Studied by

    Hubble Space Telescope

  • Scientifically related to

    The Milky Way

Original SVG diagram

Deep-sky morphology

Galaxy-scale viewBulge / nucleusDisk or stellar haloMorphology comes from observationGalaxy
Object class
Galaxy
Catalog numbers
Not recorded
Image records
4
Graph relations
18
Al-SufiAndromeda (conste...Deep-Sky AtlasDistance & Scale ...Edwin HubbleGalaxy AtlasGemini ObservatoryHubble Space Tele...Local Group Explo...Palomar Observato...Spiral GalaxyThe Expansion of ...Andromeda GalaxyGalaxy

Visual knowledge graph

Relationships, not isolated facts

This viewport is generated from the Asteria knowledge graph. Science, culture, and interpretive links remain separated by domain so visual context never changes the evidentiary meaning of a relation.

6 more graph links

Image provenance

Photography as evidence

4 cleared visual records

Continue the atlas

Curated next objects

Observation

How this was captured

Source
NASA
Observation date
2003-12-10

Gallery

Pulsar Candidate in Andromeda

NASA's Nuclear Spectroscope Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, has identified a candidate pulsar in Andromeda -- the nearest large galaxy to the Milky Way.

2017

NASA/JPL-Caltech/GSFC/JHU · NASA media (public domain)

Source archive ↗

Data

Scientific data & provenance

Data & provenance

Stable ID
galaxy:andromeda-galaxy
Type
Galaxy
Domain
Scientific connections
Relationships
18
Graph version
1.0.0

Dataset membership

Open data

In the graph export: graph.json · graph.jsonld

Planned API: GET /api/v0/entities/galaxy:andromeda-galaxy

Scientific quality

Complete
Reviewed3 sourcesv1.0.0

6 of 6 applicable dimensions complete

Description
Complete
Source coverage
Complete
Relationship coverage
Complete
Review coverage
Complete
Citation coverage
Complete
Image coverage
Complete
Timeline coverage
Not applicable

Scientific entity. Dimensions that cannot apply to this object are excluded rather than counted as gaps. See the evidence framework and authority dashboard.

Provenance & sources

review 2026.1

Asteria Scientific Review Process · verification: sourced · accurate

  • High evidenceconfirmed

    The Andromeda Galaxy (M31) is the nearest large spiral galaxy to the Milky Way, about 2.5 million light-years away, and is approaching the Milky Way for a future merger.

    Source: NASA Science · Public domain (US Government work)

Reviewed by the internal Asteria Scientific Review Process — not an external institutional review. See the evidence framework and authority dashboard.

Scientific citations

2

Real, source-backed references — primary papers first, then datasets and institutional sources. Formatted through the citation engine; nothing is fabricated.

  • Vera C. Rubin & W. Kent Ford Jr. · The Astrophysical Journal 159, 379 · 1970

    The Astrophysical Journal · doi:10.1086/150317

    Cite (APA / BibTeX)
    Vera C. Rubin & W. Kent Ford Jr. (1970). Rotation of the Andromeda Nebula from a Spectroscopic Survey of Emission Regions. The Astrophysical Journal 159, 379. The Astrophysical Journal. https://doi.org/10.1086/150317
    
    @misc{cite:rubin-ford-1970,
      title        = {Rotation of the Andromeda Nebula from a Spectroscopic Survey of Emission Regions},
      author       = {Vera C. Rubin and W. Kent Ford Jr.},
      organization = {The Astrophysical Journal},
      howpublished = {The Astrophysical Journal 159, 379},
      year         = {1970},
      doi          = {10.1086/150317},
      url          = {https://doi.org/10.1086/150317},
      note         = {Andromeda rotation curve — evidence for dark matter.}
    }
  • NASA/IPAC (Caltech)

    Cite (APA / BibTeX)
    NASA/IPAC (Caltech) (n.d.). Andromeda Galaxy (M31) — NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database. NASA/IPAC (Caltech). https://ned.ipac.caltech.edu/
    
    @misc{cite:ned-galaxy-andromeda-galaxy,
      title        = {Andromeda Galaxy (M31) — NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database},
      organization = {NASA/IPAC (Caltech)},
      year         = {n.d.},
      url          = {https://ned.ipac.caltech.edu/},
      note         = {Positions, redshift, and cross-identifications for Andromeda Galaxy (M31).}
    }

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Sources & references

The primary and reference sources this topic draws on.

  • NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration

    Mission data, planetary science, space telescopes, and public-domain imagery.

    Most NASA-produced imagery is in the public domain; individual items are checked for usage terms before publication.

  • ESAEuropean Space Agency

    European missions, observatories, and space science imagery.

  • IAUInternational Astronomical Union

    Official naming, definitions, constellation boundaries, and astronomical nomenclature.