Facts about the Andromeda Galaxy

1. 07

   Andromeda Galaxy's disk contains a vast ring of dust and gas located approximately 32,000 light-years from its center, likely created by a past collision with a smaller satellite galaxy.

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2. 06

   Visible light from Andromeda Galaxy takes 2.5 million years to reach Earth, meaning we observe it as it appeared during the Pleistocene epoch.

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3. 05

   Andromeda Galaxy rotates so slowly that one complete rotation takes approximately 250 million years, significantly longer than the Milky Way's galactic year.

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4. 04

   Andromeda's central supermassive black hole, weighing 140 million solar masses, is roughly 100 times heavier than the black hole at the Milky Way's center.

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5. 03

   At 220,000 light-years across, Andromeda Galaxy spans roughly 2.2 times the diameter of the Milky Way's disk.

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6. 02

   In 2.5 billion years, Andromeda Galaxy will collide and merge with the Milky Way, forming a new elliptical galaxy.

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7. 01

   One trillion stars populate Andromeda Galaxy, making it contain roughly twice as many stars as the Milky Way.

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