Expert: Jayendra Upadhye - 7/16/2004

Question
As I began to develop an interest in this field, I was always curious about the galaxies. I just wanted to know if anyone knew alot of information on the Andromeda Galaxy like where its located and how it was possibly formed? Another quesion is, if there is no end to the universe, what's in the far regions of space that no human will ever reach?

Answer
Hi Yvonne,
1 - Andromeda location:-
For quick unaided location..
To put it simply, first locate cassiopia. Its stars are unmistakably shaped like an "M" with its legs spread out.
Andromeda is a few degrees "above" the first point of the "M".

In winter skies it appears as an elongated hazy patch in the northern skies.

With binoculars power 10, it is very easy to see. I have a 10 * 7 simple binocular and am able to see it quickly.

However for an accurate "map" refer to the site http://www.fourmilab.ch/yoursky/help/controls.html
you will find it under "deep sky objects", listed as M 31

M because it is listed at that number on the messsier catalog of astronomical objects compiled by him.

2 - It is a sister galaxy of the milky way. Just as the milky way has the large and small magellanic clouds as satellite galaxies, so does the m31 have m32 as a satellite galaxy. Both these are part of the local group and share in the hubble expansion of the universe.
Both seem to have formed concurrently out of the cooling matter from the big bang (15 billion years ago), and are racing towards the virgo super cluster of galaxies.Refer http://www.seds.org/messier/m/m032.html for m32.

3 - "What lies beyond"...well in that no man'sland you find the quasars or quasi stellar radio objects. These appear to be proto galaxies.Since they are far we are actually seeing them "as they were a few billion years ago, as the light took that much time to reach us , from them.
Jayen