About this Object:
The Andromeda Galaxy is a spiral galaxy approximately 2,500,000 light-years away in the constellation Andromeda. It is also known as Messier 31, M31, or NGC 224. Andromeda is the nearest spiral galaxy to our own, the Milky Way, but not the closest galaxy overall. Andromeda is the largest galaxy of the Local Group, which consists of the Andromeda Galaxy, the Milky Way Galaxy, the Triangulum Galaxy, and about 30 other smaller galaxies.


Also in this picture is M32, a dwarf elliptical galaxy to the upper Left (looks like an oversized star) and M110, another dwarf elliptical galaxy to the lower Right.

About this Photo:
Date(s): September 9, 2011
Location: From my driveway in Georgetown, Texas
Telescope: Orion ED80 @ F6.4
Mount: CGEM
Guiding: Orion StarShoot AutoGuider / Taurus Tracker III OAG
Camera: Canon 40D Modified
Filter: Astronomik CLS
Exposure: 39 x 300s @ ISO1600 (3 Hrs 15 Min total)
Acquisition: ImagesPlus 3.75 Camera Control
Processing: ImagesPlus 3.75 – Darks,Flats,Bias
Post-processing: Adobe Photoshop CS5; Gradient Exterminator; Noise Ninja; Noel Carboni's Tools; Annie’s Astro Actions
Temperature(s): 75º F