Thanks to the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, enjoy this “fly through” of the largest and most detailed image ever taken of the Andromeda galaxy.
This 4K video by YouTuber Daveachuk explores just one third of the Andromeda galaxy, showcasing “over 100 million stars and thousands of star clusters embedded in a section of the galaxy’s pancake-shaped disc stretching across over 40,000 light-years.” It was composed of 1.5 billion pixels from 411 separate Hubble images. The first image was created by Cory Poole.
Though it’s a bit dizzying, the video is worth watching until the end while remembering that each of those bright dots is a star like our own sun. Next, zoom in and out on your own with this high-definition panoramic view of the Andromeda Galaxy.
Also called Messier 31 or M31, Andromeda is the closest spiral galaxy to the Milky Way, where we live within our solar system.
Learn more about Earth’s cosmic address: Solar System, Milky Way, Laniakea – our home supercluster, then go behind-the-scenes with PBS Off Book: The Beauty of Space Photography.
via @ElonMusk.
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