The Andromeda galaxy, also catalogued as M31, is maybe the furthest object that can be seen by the naked eye, with the exception of M33 under pristine skies and exceptional eyes. This spiral galaxy lays around 2.5 million light years away from us. Because of its size and distance from our Milky Way, Andromeda is approaching us at a speed of 110 km/second (being a blue shifted object). In a “near future” both galaxies will collide creating a new super galaxy, the Milkomeda.
In the following image, taken from my home observatory in Prades (Catalonia, Spain) the 2017 November, you can see M31 and its two galaxy satellites, M32 (the closer to M31) and M110 (with some detail on its structure). Hα filter has been used to enhance the HII regions.
Image Details
L: 98×300″
RGB: 30×300″ each channel
Hα: 20×600″
All images at 0Gain -20ºC bin1
Calibrated with 30 darks, 50 bias
Total exposure: 19h
Equipment
FSQ85ED telescope
Mesu200 mount
ASI1600MM Pro camera with ZWO EFW 8 pos
Guiding with ASI174MC and ZWO OAG
Baader filters
Software
SGP, PHD2, APP, PIX.
Aleix Roig – Prades, Tarragona (Catalonia, Spain), November 2017.