Hubble Shows the True Size of Andromeda

Seldom Bucket

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It’s possible that you’ve seen the Andromeda galaxy (M31) without even realizing it. The massive spiral galaxy appears as a grey, spindle-shaped blob in the night sky, visible with the naked eye in the right conditions. It’s the nearest major galaxy to ours, and astronomers have studied it a lot.


Now astronomers have used the Hubble Space Telescope to map out Andromeda’s enormous halo of hot gas.


Scientists call the halo of gas surrounding galaxies the circumgalactic medium (CGM.) The CGM is diffuse, and nearly invisible. But as scientists get the technology to study it more closely, they’re starting to understand the important role it plays in galactic evolution. They think that the CGM is an important source of star-forming material, and that it regulates a galaxy’s gas supply.

 

Nicholas

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In other words, the Andromeda Galaxy may not be 2 million light years away from the Milky Way Galaxy?

As a matter of interest, the rot of the word "galaxy" is the Greek word for milk. There is an old origin story about the goddess Hera trying to breastfeed
the infant Heracles. He bites down on her nipple, and she pulls away in pain, leaving a trail of milk in the sky.
 
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