Forensic Evidence of a Galactic Collision
Sig06 025

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/D. Block (Anglo American Cosmic Dust Lab, SA)

Collage • October 18th, 2006 • sig06-025

sig06-025

Astronomers have new evidence that the Andromeda spiral galaxy was involved in a violent head-on collision with the neighboring dwarf galaxy Messier 32 (M32) more than 200 million years ago. Infrared photographs taken with NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope revealed a never-before-seen dust ring deep within the Andromeda galaxy. When combined with a previously observed outer ring, the presence of both dust rings suggests that M32 plunged through the disk of Andromeda along Andromeda's polar axis approximately 210 million years ago.

This image was obtained by the Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) at a wavelength of 8.0 microns.

About the Object

Name
Andromeda GalaxyMessier 31M31NGC 224
Type
Galaxy > Type > Spiral
Distance
2,500,000 Light Years

Color Mapping

Band Wavelength Telescope
Infrared 8.0 µm Spitzer IRAC

Astrometrics

Position (J2000)
RA =0h 43m 31.8s
Dec = 41° 26' 21.9"
Field of View
2.4 x 0.8 degrees
Orientation
North is 49.8° left of vertical