The Local Group is the Milky Way’s family of galaxies, ruled by the Andromeda and Milky Way spirals with the smaller Triangulum and a host of dwarfs.
About The Local Group
Andromeda and the Milky Way are the largest members. The Triangulum Galaxy is a smaller spiral, and around them orbit many dwarf galaxies, among them the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, the Sagittarius Dwarf, which the Milky Way is tearing apart, and faint spheroidal dwarfs such as Sculptor, Fornax and Draco.
Gravity binds the group together. Andromeda is moving towards the Milky Way, and the two may eventually merge into a single large galaxy, a prospect that lies far in the future.
What you see in the piece
This is the far end of the zoom. At true brightness, the Milky Way and Andromeda are the only large lights; most dwarfs are hard to find without labels (L).
Measured or modelled
Whether and when the Milky Way and Andromeda collide depends on Andromeda’s sideways motion and the pull of other members, and recent studies give it as likely rather than certain.
Questions
What galaxies are in the Local Group?
The Milky Way, Andromeda and Triangulum are its spirals, accompanied by many dwarfs, including the Magellanic Clouds.
Will Andromeda collide with the Milky Way?
The two are approaching each other, and a merger far in the future is possible but not certain.