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Hubble Zooms into the Rosy Tendrils of Andromeda

Thousands of distant stars crowd the view against black space. A rosy, bloomlike tendril of red nebulosity shines near the center-top.

Scientists probed Andromeda’s spiral arms using Hubble to analyze the collection of stars buried in its cosmic bouquets.

NASA, ESA, M. Boyer (Space Telescope Science Institute), and J. Dalcanton (University of Washington); Image Processing: Gladys Kober (NASA/Catholic University of America)

Clusters of stars set the interstellar medium ablaze in the Andromeda Galaxy about 2.5 million light-years away. Also known as M31, Andromeda is the Milky Way’s closest major galaxy. It measures approximately 152,000 light-years across and, with almost the same mass as our home galaxy, is headed for a collision with the Milky Way in 2-4 billion years. In the meantime, Andromeda remains an object of study for many astronomers.

As a spiral galaxy, Andromeda’s winding arms are one of its most remarkable features. NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope zoomed in to get a close look at one of its tendrils in the northeast, revealing swathes of ionized gas. These regions — which are common in spiral and irregular galaxies — often indicate the presence of recent star formation. The combination of stellar nurseries and supernovae create a dynamic environment that excites the surrounding hydrogen gas, flourishing it into a garden of star-studded roses.

Thousands of distant stars crowd the view against black space. Tendrils of red nebulosity bloom across the image.

Clusters of stars set the interstellar medium ablaze in the Andromeda Galaxy about 2.5 million light-years away.

NASA, ESA, M. Boyer (Space Telescope Science Institute), and J. Dalcanton (University of Washington); Image Processing: Gladys Kober (NASA/Catholic University of America)

Scientists probed Andromeda’s spiral arms using Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) and Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) to analyze the collection of stars buried in its cosmic bouquets. With ACS and WFC3’s wide spectral coverage, Hubble could peer through the hedges of gas and observe a valuable sample of these stars. The extent of the study spanned a vast range of stars, providing not just a clear view of Andromeda’s stellar history and diversity, but also more insight on stellar formation and evolution overall. By examining these stars in our local cosmic neighborhood, scientists can better understand those within galaxies in the distant universe.

At the upper right, an image shows thousands of distant stars that crowd the view against black space. A rosy, bloomlike tendril of red nebulosity shines near the center-top. This image is connected with white lines to a lower-left view of the Andromeda galaxy, where it reaches to one of its upper spiral arms. Andromeda has a glowing, yellow core with spiral arms interlaced with dark dust and purplish star formation. White text at the top reads “M31”.

This inset image shows the location of Hubble's view within the Andromeda galaxy.

NASA, ESA, M. Boyer (Space Telescope Science Institute), J. Dalcanton (University of Washington), and KPNO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/Adam Block; Image Processing: Gladys Kober (NASA/Catholic University of America)