M31 · Andromeda Galaxy

Messier 31, the Great Andromeda Nebula, is a giant spiral galaxy located approximately 2.537 million light-years from Earth. It is the most massive member of the Local Group, surpassing our own Milky Way with an estimated population of one trillion stars. Unlike most galaxies that are receding from us, M31 is hurtling toward the Milky Way at the staggering speed of 110 km/s. In about 4 billion years, our two stellar cities will merge to give birth to a giant elliptical galaxy, dubbed "Milkomeda" by astronomers. This image reveals the metal-rich dust lanes, remnants of generations of dead stars, which outline its spiral arms. The extremely bright core houses a supermassive black hole at its center, weighing approximately 140 million solar masses.