{"id":242465,"date":"2025-06-27T04:29:06","date_gmt":"2025-06-26T18:29:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?guid=4695e1386a6d5f4f66ae0fd13698786a"},"modified":"2025-06-27T04:29:06","modified_gmt":"2025-06-26T18:29:06","slug":"sparkling-andromeda","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=242465","title":{"rendered":"Sparkling Andromeda"},"content":{"rendered":"
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X-ray: NASA\/CXO\/UMass\/Z. Li & Q.D. Wang, ESA\/XMM-Newton; Infrared: NASA\/JPL-Caltech\/WISE, Spitzer, NASA\/JPL-Caltech\/K. Gordon (U. Az), ESA\/Herschel, ESA\/Planck, NASA\/IRAS, NASA\/COBE; Radio: NSF\/GBT\/WSRT\/IRAM\/C. Clark (STScI); Ultraviolet: NASA\/JPL-Caltech\/GALEX; Optical: Andromeda, Unexpected \u00a9 Marcel Drechsler, Xavier Strottner, Yann Sainty & J. Sahner, T. Kottary. Composite image processing: L. Frattare, K. Arcand, J.Major<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The Andromeda galaxy, also known as Messier 31 (M31), is a glittering beacon in this image released on June 25, 2025, in tribute to the groundbreaking legacy of astronomer Dr. Vera Rubin, whose observations transformed our understanding of the universe. In the 1960s, Rubin and her colleagues studied M31 and determined that there was some unseen matter in the galaxy that was affecting how the galaxy and its spiral arms rotated. This unknown material was named \u201cdark matter.\u201d<\/p>\n

M31 is the closest spiral galaxy<\/a> to the Milky Way<\/a> at a distance of about 2.5 million light-years<\/a>. Astronomers use Andromeda to understand the structure and evolution of our own spiral, which is much harder to do since Earth is embedded inside the Milky Way.<\/p>\n

Learn more about this image and experience in sound, too.<\/a><\/p>\n

Image credit: X-ray: NASA\/CXO\/UMass\/Z. Li & Q.D. Wang, ESA\/XMM-Newton; Infrared: NASA\/JPL-Caltech\/WISE, Spitzer, NASA\/JPL-Caltech\/K. Gordon (U. Az), ESA\/Herschel, ESA\/Planck, NASA\/IRAS, NASA\/COBE; Radio: NSF\/GBT\/WSRT\/IRAM\/C. Clark (STScI); Ultraviolet: NASA\/JPL-Caltech\/GALEX; Optical: Andromeda, Unexpected \u00a9 Marcel Drechsler, Xavier Strottner, Yann Sainty & J. Sahner, T. Kottary. Composite image processing: L. Frattare, K. Arcand, J.Major<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Andromeda galaxy, also known as Messier 31 (M31), is a glittering beacon in this image released on June 25, 2025, in tribute to the groundbreaking legacy of astronomer Dr. Vera Rubin, whose observations transformed our understanding of the universe.\u00a0In the 1960s, Rubin and her colleagues studied M31 and determined that there was some unseen [\u2026]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":1,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16923,15758],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-242465","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-andromeda-galaxy","category-spiral-galaxies"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t