What is the closest galaxy to us? There are many galaxies, stars and celestial bodies in the large space around our planet, and scientists have called them different names, and after scientists discovered that the Milky Way galaxy is not alone in the universe in addition to being part of the local group, our galaxy is Also part of a larger formation known as the Virgo Super Cluster. Thus, we can say that the Milky Way galaxy has many neighboring galaxies. Some may wonder, which is the closest galaxy to planet Earth. Through the following article, we will answer this question and give you some information. about the Milky Way.
Milky way galaxy wikipedia
The Milky Way galaxy consists of 25 galaxies, and takes its name from the white light that early astronomers saw in the sky on clear nights. The Greek scientist Democritus is considered the first astronomer to explain that the Milky Way consists of a group of stars and estimates the age of the Milky Way galaxy According to research in 2005 AD, about 13.6 billion years.
What is the nearest galaxy to us?
The nearest galaxy to the Milky Way is about 2.5 million light-years away and contains about 250 billion stars with a diameter of 220,000 light-years. This galaxy is called
- Andromeda galaxy.
They are the closest galaxies to our own and can be seen with the naked eye.
Information about the Andromeda Galaxy
The Andromeda galaxy is one of the first galaxies discovered, as it was discovered in 965 AD, and this initial discovery was mentioned in the Book of Fixed Stars by the Islamic astronomer Abd al-Rahman al-Sufi, then the Andromeda galaxy was rediscovered, and that was in the year 1612 AD, and this discovery was The new thing after the invention of the telescope during a short period of time was the discovery by the German astronomer Simon Marius, who said that the galaxy is like light.
Information about the Milky Way
Below we mention the most important information that science has reached about the nearest galaxy to the Milky Way
- The Andromeda Galaxy, or as it is called the Andromeda Galaxy, is the largest galaxy in the Local Cluster, but this galaxy is not considered larger than the Milky Way.
- Astronomers use the Andromeda galaxy to understand the origin and evolution of other galaxies surrounding the Milky Way.
- The Andromeda galaxy is approaching the Milky Way at a speed of 100 to 140 kilometers per second.
- And the Andromeda galaxy consists of major components such as the Milky Way and contains a double nucleus, and at the heart of the Andromeda galaxy is a huge cluster of stars.
- The Andromeda galaxy has at least two spiral arms and the Andromeda galaxy’s spiral arms are distorted by gravitational interactions with two companion galaxies.
- There are at least 450 globular clusters around the Andromeda galaxy.
When can we see the Milky Way?
The Andromeda Galaxy can be seen in early fall because at this time of the year the galaxy is high enough in the sky that it can be seen from dark to dawn without the need for a telescope like other distant galaxies, because it is considered farthest from what can be seen with the naked eye and can be seen from the north Hemisphere in the sky is very dark.
