Andromeda Rising over the Alps
			
		
		
			Image Credit & Copyright:  
Matteo Dunchi
		
		
			Have you ever seen the Andromeda galaxy?
Although 
M31 
appears as a faint and fuzzy blob to the unaided eye, the light you see will be over two million years old, 
making it likely the oldest light you ever will 
see directly.
Now rising near a few hours after sunset from mid-latitude northern locations, 
Andromeda is 
rising earlier 
each night and will be visible to northerners all night long starting in September.
The featured image captured 
Andromeda rising above the 
Italian 
Alps last month.
As cool as it may be to see this 
neighboring galaxy to our 
Milky Way 
with your own eyes, long duration camera exposures can pick up many 
faint and 
breathtaking details.
Recent data indicates that our Milky Way Galaxy 
will collide and coalesce 
with the slightly larger Andromeda galaxy in a few billion years.