AssetID: 54450143
Headline: RAW VIDEO: Scientists Capture 200 Million Stars In Biggest Mosaic Image Of Our Neighbouring Galaxy Ever Produced
Caption: Scientists have created the largest mosaic image of a galaxy 2.5 million lightyears away. The Andromeda Galaxy, our closest major galactic neighbour, is the most distant object visible to the naked eye - if you have clear, dark skies and sharp vision. The breathtaking photomosaic of Andromeda, captured by the Hubble Space Telescope, was assembled from more than 600 images collected over a decade of observations. The mosaic spans 2.5 billion pixels, showcasing 200 million stars, all brighter than our Sun. Yet, this represents just a fraction of Andromeda's estimated 1 trillion stars, most of which remain too faint or small to detect. The project was accomplished through two major Hubble initiatives. The first, the Panchromatic Hubble Andromeda Treasury (PHAT), focused on the galaxy's northern half, capturing near-ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared wavelengths. The second, the Panchromatic Hubble Andromeda Southern Treasury (PHAST), completed the southern half, adding data from another 100 million stars. Together, these surveys provide an unparalleled, full view of Andromeda. The galactic study offers critical insights into Andromeda's history, revealing clues about its past collisions with other galaxies. The presence of younger stars suggests recent bursts of star formation, possibly triggered by interactions with smaller galaxies like Messier 32. Andromeda’s proximity to the Milky Way makes it an invaluable proxy for studying our own galaxy, whose structure remains partly obscured due to our position within one of its spiral arms. By examining Andromeda, astronomers uncover differences between the two galaxies, from stellar populations to evolutionary paths. Astronomers say Andromeda will smash into our own Milky Way galaxy in about 4.5 billion years' time, in an event dubbed the Andromeda-Milky Way collision.
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