Andromeda
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Galaxy

Messier 32

Also M32 · NGC 221

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A small, dense elliptical galaxy in orbit round the Andromeda Galaxy, seen against the outer part of its disc.

Measured

Distance
2.63 million light-years
Size
about 7,000 light-years across (approximate)
Constellation
Andromeda
Position (J2000)
RA 0h 42m 42s, Dec +40.87°

How far, from the Sun

2.63 million light-years. To cross it:

  • Light2.63 million years
  • Voyager 1's speed46.7 billion years
  • Driving at 100 km/h28.3 trillion years

Voyager 1 at the speed it moved outward over the year to 2026-10-25 (JPL Horizons). Driving: nonstop, never refuelling.

Facts

  • It is the closest example of a compact elliptical galaxy, and the prototype of the class.
  • Its centre holds a black hole of a few million times the Sun's mass.

Where this comes from

  • McConnachie 2012, AJ 144, 4 (805 ± 78 kpc from the Sun)
  • This research has made use of the SIMBAD database, CDS, Strasbourg, France (Wenger et al. 2000, A&AS 143, 9).
  • This research has made use of the VizieR catalogue access tool, CDS, Strasbourg, France (DOI: 10.26093/cds/vizier).

Every catalogue Ouranos draws is credited on the credits page.