Fact of the day
Saturday, 7 November 2026
GalaxiesAndromeda Galaxy (M31)
The light you see from the Andromeda Galaxy began its journey roughly 2.5 million years ago.
Andromeda lies approximately 2.5 million light-years from Earth, making it the most distant object most people can see with the unaided eye from a dark site.
Because light travels at a finite speed, the faint smudge visible in autumn skies is an image of the galaxy as it was when early human ancestors were walking in Africa.
Andromeda and the Milky Way are approaching one another at roughly 110 kilometres per second and are expected to interact in around 4 billion years.
Reference: NASA — Andromeda Galaxy
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