NASA's new telescope captures Andromeda galaxy in all its glory!

I love it! I didn't know we could see the spirals of the Andromeda galaxy with our naked eyes. I thought it would just look like another star. Though, it makes sense now that I think about it because it is the closest galaxy to us and a galaxy's brightness is immense compared to a star's. I am definitely going to look for it, thanks for the info!

Just think that maybe one day we will be advanced enough to be able to travel to the Andromeda galaxy. I wonder if there are intelligent speices looking at our galaxy thinking the same thing?

Also, didn't we base what we think our galaxy's shape looks like on the Andromeda galaxy? Aren't most of the pictures we see of the Milky Way actually Andromeda?

Originally posted by vick2075
The actual position of the solar system is currently about 20 parsecs above the galactic plane and is moving upward.

This is pretty much the impression I have from what I read about solar oscillations some time ago. It debunks the idea that we are heading into or otherwise crossing the galactic plane doesn't it?

The motions I am referring to, solar equinox with the galaxy, are quite different. The question I have for the solar motions are in relation to the center of the Milky Way and are concerned with a relationship between the motions of the two. If our solar system is originally from the Milky Way then I would assume we would be on the same plane (within 10 degrees) and following the same direction of rotation as well as having a fixed alignment with the center. As observed we are moving in a retrograde rotation to our galaxy and at a 60 degree angle, edge on, in what I refer to as a solar equinoctial alignment (similar to a global equinoctial alignment with the Sun).

Since we are at a 60 degree angle then how about the fixed alignment of our solar equinox?
Here is a theoretical illustration of our solar system that is not fixed to the galactic center going through equinoctial and solstice alignments throughout its galactic orbit.
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/dea6c19cc58e.jpg[/atsimg]
Notice that there would be a change of rotational directions with respect to both the solar and galactic motions as we move from a Northern Solstice to a Southern Solstice. I don't think it would be correct to say that we are going from retro to pro grade rotational motions but there is most definitely a change.

I am interested in understanding the connections, if any, between electromagnetic energy, magnetic fields and rotational/orbital motions. Not just the effects that these motions might have on each other but also how the directions and velocities effect everything as well.

I don't know about the alignments with Andromeda, but to answer the question of why is there about 60 deg between ecliptic and GNP, the answer or to find the answer, we just have to look more closely to the finer details of astrophysical descriptions of other suns in the galaxy and try to figure their rotational direction whether ACD or CD and in which direction they are orbiting and by what angle they are doing so.

I suppose this type of information will come out in time as we learn more about extra-stellar planets and their orbits.

If they are all moving clockwise (and rotating ACD) but at reduced angle, say 20 or even 10 then our sun is a special case. Our sun may have been captured from a straying nearby dwarf galaxy.

I believe that this is the cause for the theory that we might be from the Sagittarius galaxy.


[edit on 3/11/2010 by Devino]

Originally posted by tooo many pills
I love it! I didn't know we could see the spirals of the Andromeda galaxy with our naked eyes. I thought it would just look like another star.

Actually what you see is a rather large white fuzzy area similar to a small cloud which is the center of Andromeda. Most of the size of Andromeda, outer spiral arms, is not visible to the unaided eye yet what can be seen is very impressive and is far greater in apparent size than any other star.

...it makes sense now that I think about it because it is the closest galaxy to us and a galaxy's brightness is immense compared to a star's. I am definitely going to look for it, thanks for the info!

Because of the size of Andromeda it is visible to the naked eye yet it is not the nearest galaxy to our own. Sagittarius is a dwarf galaxy that is much closer to us and is in the process of becoming part of the Milky Way. Sagittarius Dwarf Elliptical Galaxy.

Also, didn't we base what we think our galaxy's shape looks like on the Andromeda galaxy? Aren't most of the pictures we see of the Milky Way actually Andromeda?

I think this is a case of "can't see the forest through the trees", in a matter of speaking. We can't take a full image of our own galaxy because we are in it and so we base what we know about the Milky Way on the images of other galaxies. Estimates are that Andromeda is much larger than the Milky Way, at least twice as large, and because of this me could expect the two to look a bit different at least. Here is a true image of the Milky Way Galaxy.

Why do when I look at it think "home" ?

Oooo very pretty I wonder who lives there?

reply to post by Devino


I believe you got your North Pole direction for the earth all pointing towards the wrong direction. You will have to picture the solar system's orbit around the galaxy as a bulleyes target inclined at 60 deg from the galactic plane. Earth's north pole should then be pointing in the direction the sun is moving in its orbit around the galaxy.

From one solstice to another the rotation of the bodies in question haven't changed at all; it's only the outside observer's perspective that has changed. From one solstice the observer is looking at the solar systems 'coming to' whereas for the other solstice the observer is looking at its 'going away'.

Moreover if you really look at most pictures of M31 they are all slightly inclined from our view by about 15 to 25 deg which virtually is 90 deg inclination with regard to the milky way....basically the milky way is 90 deg inclined from andromeda for us to be viewing m31 at 15 or 25 deg since the solar system and by extension earth is inclined 60 deg from the galactic plane.

As for velocities we should be using the Hubble's constant for the expansion of the universe but gravity wins whereever there is a crowd of baryonic matter around. So as previously estimated M31 and the milky way are on a collision course due to gravity but all other galaxies that are not gravitationally bound will be getting further from us by the hubble's constant of about 71 km/sec/mpc. It all depends now how much dark energy the universe contains and if it does contain a lot, i don't even think that that previous estimate of the collision course should be maintained. I hope that this answers for velocities, direction and forces at play on a galactic scale.