The Andromeda Galaxy, also known as Messier 31, M31, or NGC 224, is a spiral galaxy approximately 780 kiloparsecs from Earth, and the nearest major galaxy to the Milky Way. Its name stems from the area of the Earth's sky in which it appears, the constellation of Andromeda.

Distance to Earth: 2.537 million light years

Radius: 110,000 light years

Apparent size (V): 3.167° × 1°

Stars: 1 trillion

Coordinates: RA 0h 42m 44s | Dec +41° 16′ 9″

Did you know: It's part of a group of nearby galaxies that astronomers call the Local Group.