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Messier 31 (Andromeda Galaxy) · February 2, 2026 · Backyard, Bortle 6

Andromeda — our nearest galactic neighbor

Andromeda — our nearest galactic neighbor

Shot from my backyard across four cold February nights. M31 fills the frame at 350mm — you can trace the dust lanes all the way in, and M32 and M110 are along for the ride. 2.5 million light-years away, and it’s the closest spiral to us.

Gear
scope William Optics RedCat 71 camera ZWO ASI2600MC Pro mount ZWO AM5N guiding ZWO ASI220MM Mini + OAG filters Optolong L-Pro
Exposure · Sky
subs 240 × 120s total 8h 00m gain/temp 100 · −10°C bortle 6 ra / dec 00h 42m 44.3s / +41° 16′ 09″
Processing notes

Stacked in Siril, BlurXTerminator + NoiseXTerminator in PixInsight, color balance in Photoshop.