Andromeda Galaxy in detail like never before: 1.5 billion pixels

Ricky Joseph

10-04-2023 Space & Physics
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Ricky Joseph

Hubble Space Telescope records Andromeda galaxy with stunning richness of detail.

By taking a sequence of photos of the Andromeda galaxy, identified as M31 by astronomers, in high definition, capturing more than 100 million stars - a relatively low figure compared to astronomical values the Hubble Space Telescope downgraded our size even further.

The image was made available by ESA, the European Space Agency, in partnership with the United States space agency, NASA, as both manage Hubble. To view it with a zoom tool directly in the browser, click here .

Due to the large size of the Hubble record, it was best to turn the image into a video, which can be watched below. "This is a cropped version of the full image and is 1.5 billion pixels long. You would need more than 600 HD television screens to display the entire image," the European agency explained.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPgtdH2D2-E

With its 1.5 billion pixels, the image depicts a 40,000 light-year stretch of Andromeda, showing conglomerates and many stars - which are orbited by several planets and natural satellites (constituting "Extrasolar Systems"). Many of these stars don't even exist anymore, we're practically seeing "ghosts" in this small cosmic array. Soak in a small fraction ofcosmic immensity.

Read more on "Andromeda Galaxy may have merged with Milky Way sister"

Source: Hubble Space Telescope. Image credit: ESA/NASA (J. Dalcanton, B. F. Williams, L. C. Johnson , PHAT team and R. Gendler).

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Ricky Joseph is a seeker of knowledge. He firmly believes that through understanding the world around us, we can work to better ourselves and our society as a whole. As such, he has made it his life's mission to learn as much as he can about the world and its inhabitants. Joseph has worked in many different fields, all with the aim of furthering his knowledge. He has been a teacher, a soldier, and a businessman - but his true passion lies in research. He currently works as a research scientist for a major pharmaceutical company, where he is dedicated to finding new treatments for diseases that have long been considered incurable. Through diligence and hard work, Ricky Joseph has become one of the foremost experts on pharmacology and medicinal chemistry in the world. His name is known by scientists everywhere, and his work continues to improve the lives of millions.