Astronomy & Space

APOD: 2026 October 23 – Andromeda in Southern Spring

How the science connects

Spiral galaxyAstrophotography

AI Insight

This astronomical photograph captures the Andromeda Galaxy (M31) as viewed from Mullion, New South Wales, Australia during the southern hemisphere spring. The image was created using multiple tracked and stacked exposures taken on October 10-11, revealing the spiral galaxy in detail as it appeared low on the northern horizon, spanning approximately six full moon widths in the night sky. From Australia's southern latitude, Andromeda remains close to the horizon and reaches its highest point around midnight during spring months.


This image demonstrates advanced astrophotography techniques for capturing deep-sky objects from challenging observation locations with low elevation angles. It also illustrates how the same celestial objects appear dramatically different depending on the observer's latitude and hemisphere, which is important for global astronomy education and observation planning.


APOD

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The Andromeda galaxy above rolling hills.

Andromeda in Southern Spring

Explanation: Looking toward the north from Mullion, New South Wales, Australia, the Andromeda Galaxy never gets more than a few degrees above the horizon. During the southern hemisphere spring, Andromeda is highest in the sky around midnight though. And in this telephoto scene from October 10/11, multiple exposures were used to reveal the spiral galaxy in tantalizing detail as it climbed above rolling Australian hills. Also known as M31, the Andromeda Galaxy is one of the brightest objects in the Messier catalog, but is only visible to the unaided eye as a small, faint, fuzzy patch. Digitally tracked and stacked frames were combined with a foreground shot in the deep astro-image composite to reveal the galaxy’s greater extent in planet Earth’s night. In the springtime night skyscape,the closest large spiral galaxy spans nearly 6 full moons.

Tomorrow’s picture: pixels in space

Date October 23, 2026
Credit & Copyright: Lucy Yunxi Hu
Authors & editors: Jerry Bonnell, Cecilia Chirenti, Robert Nemiroff, Keighley Rockcliffe
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

Source: APOD: 2026 October 23 – Andromeda in Southern Spring