The Hole In The Andromeda Galaxy

– “For You To Enjoy And Share With Friends” –

The Andromeda Galaxy is the closest spiral galaxy to our own galaxy, the Milky Way. It has always been difficult to see into the galaxy due to the dust and gasses that form a barrier on its outer edge and prevent visible light from penetrating and escaping. However by using the Spitzer space infra red telescope it has been possible to obtain infra red images of the galaxy. One startling find has been an apparent hole in the right hand side of the galaxy which scientists believe is the result of a collision with another galaxy.

The Andromeda Galaxy is one of the brightest objects in the night sky and can be seen by the naked eye on nights when thee is no moon. It is approaching the Milky Way at approximately 100 kms per second and will collide with the Milky Way in about 3 billion years. No one really knows what the consequences of this impact are going to be.