RA 0h 44m · Dec +41° 13′

5′

The nearest large spiral galaxy and the most distant object visible to the naked eye. At over twice the diameter of the Milky Way, M31 spans more than 3° of sky — a wide-field mosaic is needed to capture it in full. Its satellite galaxies M32 and M110 fit in the same frame.

Galaxy

Andromeda Galaxy

M 31 · Andromeda

These photons are ~2.54 million years old

UV/IRUV/IR-cut. Blocks ultraviolet and infrared so refractor optics stay in focus across the visible band.

ZWO Seestar S50ZWO Seestar S50Aperture 50mm · Focal length 250mm · f/5 · Apo triplet with ED element · Sony IMX462 colour CMOS sensor (1920 x 1080, 2.1MP)…View equipment →LPBroadband light-pollution filter. Suppresses the sodium and mercury glow of streetlights while passing the main nebula emission lines and natural star colours.

ZWO Seestar S50ZWO Seestar S50Aperture 50mm · Focal length 250mm · f/5 · Apo triplet with ED element · Sony IMX462 colour CMOS sensor (1920 x 1080, 2.1MP)…View equipment →

⧉ 13 versions of this capture — pick one to see its image and log

↻ Revisited — built over 2 nights, four nights later

1 17/09/2025 1m (3 × 20s) + 11m (34 x 20s) + 12m (3 x 20s + 34 x 20s) ZWO Seestar S50, ZWO Seestar S50 Camera
2 21/09/2025 1m (3 x 20s) ZWO Seestar S50, ZWO Seestar S50 Camera

17/09/2025 21/09/2025 Four nights later

Date: 17/09/2025
Location: 36.3859° N, 28.0411° E
Integration: 1m (3 × 20s)
Software: ZWO Seestar app
Notes: ·
Total effort: 1h 37m over 2 nights
Moon: 🌘Waning crescent, 26% lit
Plate solve
Centre RA: 0h 43m 39.1s
Centre Dec: +41° 12′ 44″
Field: 42.7′ × 76.0′
Pixel scale: 2.37″/px
Orientation: 91.4° E of N
Hemisphere: Northern

Also in this frame

M31M32

Catalogued objects inside the plate-solved field, nearest the centre first. Highlighted names have their own photo here.

TelescopeZWO Seestar S50

CameraZWO Seestar S50 Camera

RigFamily Holiday Rig

Where to find it

Finder chart

Star field and catalogued objects inside the plate-solved field, oriented to the solve. Fully offline, from the bundled star and deep-sky catalogues.

Interactive sky chart centred on 0 43 39.1 +41 12 44. Drag to pan, scroll to zoom, click a star or object to identify it. Zoom in to the plate-solved field for the DSS survey photo; zoom out for constellation figures and neighbouring catalogue objects. Fully self-hosted: the star and deep-sky catalogues and the survey image are all served from this site, so nothing external loads. Imagery: DSS2 colour (STScI / POSS-II). Constellation figures © Dominic Ford (GPLv3).

Captured from · Ρόδος (Rhodes)

36.3859° N, 28.0411° E · view on OpenStreetMap ↗ · Place data © GeoNames (CC BY)

Frequently asked questions

What kind of object is M 31?

M 31 is a galaxy.

Which constellation is M 31 in?

M 31 lies in the constellation Andromeda.

How far away is M 31?

The light in this image left M 31 roughly ~2.54 million years ago, so that is how far back in time you are seeing it.

What are the coordinates of M 31?

M 31 sits at right ascension 00h 43m 39s and declination +41° 12′ 44″ (J2000).

When is the best time to photograph M 31?

M 31 rides highest in the evening sky around September, reaching about 85° above the horizon from around 36°N.

What else is in this frame?

The plate-solved field also contains M32.

What equipment was used to photograph M 31?

This image of M 31 was captured with ZWO Seestar S50 and ZWO Seestar S50 Camera.

How much exposure time went into this image?

This image of M 31 represents 1m (3 × 20s) + 1m (3 x 20s) + 11m (34 x 20s) + 12m (3 x 20s + 34 x 20s) of total integration time.

Andromeda Galaxy

Where to find it

Frequently asked questions

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