Andromeda Galaxy

About the object

The Andromeda Galaxy is the nearest large spiral galaxy to us and the most distant object visible to the naked eye. The light in this frame left it about two and a half million years ago. In the sky it spans a strip three times wider than the full Moon, so it does not fit into the DWARF Mini field of view and is shot as a mosaic. Two satellites sit nearby: compact M32 next to the core and elongated M110 a bit further out. In a few billion years Andromeda and the Milky Way will merge into one galaxy.

Distance: about 2.5 million light-years, apparent size in the sky: 3° × 1°, constellation Andromeda.

How it was shot

Everything here was shot with a DWARF Mini smart telescope from a balcony in a city in Ukraine: light-polluted sky, only the eastern half of it visible, and a roof overhang that cuts off the south. 5 nights (all in August), 5 sessions, 943 frames with exposures of 15, 30 and 45 s, without a filter, in broadband. The stack holds 4 h 53 min of light; the longest night, 26 August, gave 1 h 45 min. The goal for this object is 2 h, and it is reached. First night 21 August 2026, last one 26 August 2026.

Andromeda Galaxy in the night log: 20 August, 21 August, 22 August, 24 August, 26 August.

How it went

This was the first object of the challenge and the first mosaic: the telescope stitched two fields into one by itself. I tuned exposures night by night, from 15 to 45 seconds, because the city sky quickly washes out a broadband frame. The core and the dust lanes came out confidently, while the outer arms are a struggle from a balcony: they need a darkness the city does not have. The frame is closed as a first stage; I plan to return to Andromeda with a longer series.