Andromeda Galaxy
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Andromeda is a spiral galaxy approximately 2.5 million light-years away from Earth. The largest of our nearest galactic neighbors, its disk is about 260,000 light-years in diameter. The disc of the Milky Way galaxy, our own, is considerably smaller, approximately 100,000 light years across.[1]
Andromeda Galaxy: Composite of Galaxy Evolution Explorer ultraviolet detectors and Spitzer's super-sensitive infrared imaging photometer disclose embryonic stars. Young, hot, high-mass stars (blue); older stars (green); Bright yellow spot at the galaxy's center - a particularly dense population of old stars; Cooler, dusty regions where stars are forming (red swaths); Populations of hot, high-mass stars and cooler, dust-enshrouded stars co-exist (pinkish purple areas).