Andromeda, the Chained Maiden, is a northern autumn constellation best known for the Andromeda Galaxy, the most distant thing most people can see with the naked eye.
At a glance
| stars in the figure | 16 |
|---|---|
| nearest star of the figure | Lambda Andromedae, 86.1 light-years (26.4 pc) |
| farthest star of the figure | Phi Andromedae, 717 light-years (220 pc) |
| depth | the farthest is 8.3 × farther than the nearest |
Read off the piece’s own catalogue, the same values it draws with.
About Andromeda
In Greek myth Andromeda was the daughter of Cepheus and Cassiopeia, chained to a rock as an offering to a sea monster and rescued by Perseus; all of them are in the sky nearby. Her figure runs from Alpheratz, her head and a corner of the Great Square of Pegasus, through Mirach to Almach, a lovely double of an orange star and a blue one.
Above Mirach lies the Andromeda Galaxy, a spiral larger than the Milky Way, seen as a faint oval smudge from a dark site. Its light set out long before there were people to see it. Its stars are not part of the constellation at all: they belong to another galaxy far beyond. Andromeda is high on northern autumn evenings.
What you see in the piece
Flown out to, the maiden’s stars spread from Lambda Andromedae, fairly close by, to Phi Andromedae, deeper behind, but all of them are near neighbours compared with the galaxy that shares their name, which lies far outside the Milky Way.
Questions
Is the Andromeda Galaxy part of the constellation Andromeda?
Only by direction. The constellation’s stars are in our own galaxy; the Andromeda Galaxy lies far beyond them and simply appears in the same part of the sky.
How far away are the stars of Andromeda?
They range from Lambda Andromedae, 86.1 light-years (26.4 pc), to Phi Andromedae, 717 light-years (220 pc): the farthest is 8.3 × farther than the nearest.