Characteristics of the Andromeda Galaxy, the Second Largest After the Milky Way?

 

Characteristics of the Andromeda galaxy is one outside of the Milky Way galaxy. You can see the Andromeda Galaxy without the aid of any tools at night.

The Andromeda Galaxy itself is a galaxy outside the Milky Way that has a spiral shape and is about 780 kiloparsecs or 2.4 million light years from Earth.

Definition and Characteristics of the Andromeda galaxy

Galaxy with another name Messier 31/NGC 224/UGC 454/PGC 2557 is located outside the Milky Way galaxy. Even so, these two galaxies have a similar spiral-shaped structure.

Andromeda is located in the northern hemisphere, exactly 41 degrees from the equator. This galaxy will be clearly visible around September, October and November,

If you see it with the naked eye, then Andromeda will look like a small thin fog in the northern sky.

It’s different if you observe it through binoculars. Then you will see the appearance of faint stars at the edge of the Andromeda galaxy.

This characteristic of the Andromeda galaxy has a size 7 times the angular diameter of the moon. The Andromeda Galaxy has approximately 1 trillion stars moving closer to the Milky Way at a speed of 300 km/s.

Theory of the Formation of the Andromeda Galaxy

There are several theories about the formation of this galaxy. One of the most famous is the Fowler hypothesis theory put forward in 1957.

In theory, the scientist explained that 12000 million years ago Andromeda was still in the form of a very large hydrogen gas.

The hydrogen then continues to rotate and has a gravity so that it contracts and is round in shape. These components continue to experience movement to form stars.

After tens to thousands of years the temperature of the stars is decreasing. The shape of the star tends to stay like the sun.

Another theory is that the characteristic Andromeda galaxy was formed from fragments of the Milky Way star. The formation of the Milky Way made several ancient stars split apart.

That fission is what forms the new, small -sized galaxy candidate.

The Andromeda Galaxy is thought to have been formed by the collision of two small galaxies to form a star connected by gravity. 

Furthermore, this galaxy continues to grow and form several components in it. To date, the number of stars in the Andromeda galaxy reaches 1 trillion.

Characteristics of the Andromeda Galaxy

Its structure is similar to the Milky Way galaxy.

Has a spiral shape.

The star that surrounds it has a pink color spectrum.

Can be seen with the naked eye from the earth if there is no moonlight or during a lunar eclipse.

Located in the northern sky, exactly 41 degrees from the equator (in the constellation Andromeda).

The Andromeda Galaxy has a fainter edge than its center.

Its movement tends to be close to the Milky Way galaxy. Andromeda has a speed of 300 km/s.

Has a ring or disk filled with gas and dust.

The distance from the Milky Way galaxy is very far, which is about 2.5 million light years.

further, 

The Andromeda Galaxy has an estimated diameter of 70,000 to 80,000 light years. Some say about 220,000 light years.

The apparent magnitude of the Andromeda galaxy is about 3.44 V.

Even though it has the characteristic pink star, the actual color that this galaxy emits is dark blue. This color is due to the large size of the stars.

It is smaller than the Milky Way galaxy.

There are about 1 trillion stars in the Andromeda galaxy.

If you observe closely, the shape of this galaxy will look like an oval -shaped ribbon.

The radius of this galaxy is difficult to determine because of its spiral shape. But experts estimate Andromeda’s radius to be between 35,000 and 40,000 light-years.

The Movement of the Andromeda Galaxy

Each galaxy has its own cluster. As well galaksi bima sakti grouped with its neighboring galaxies.

The Milky Way has 48 neighboring galaxies that create a side-by-side territorial group. within the territory, the Andromeda and Milky Way galaxies are the largest.

Between the Andromeda galaxy and the Milky Way is a point of mass called the barycenter. According to observations, the characteristic of the Andromeda galaxy is that it is moving toward the Milky Way.

This galaxy is moving closer to the Milky Way sideways and slightly off the mark. The movement has a speed of 300 km / s.

There are many galaxies in this universe which of course are different. The characteristics of the Andromeda galaxy are what make this galaxy distinguishable from other galaxies.