APOD 2026 October 23: Andromeda Rises Over Australia in Southern Spring | NASA Science
A low view from Australia
The scene looks north from Mullion, in New South Wales. Andromeda never rises more than a few degrees above the horizon from that location. In the Southern Hemisphere’s spring, it stands highest around midnight. The featured telephoto image was captured across October 10 and 11, as the galaxy climbed above rolling hills.
Building the galaxy’s image
Photographers combined multiple exposures to bring out the spiral galaxy’s detail. Digitally tracked and stacked frames were joined with a separate foreground image to show its wider extent in the night sky.
Andromeda, also called M31, is among the brightest objects in the Messier catalog. Without optical aid, however, it appears as a small, dim, fuzzy patch.
A vast nearby spiral
In the spring night sky, Andromeda is the closest large spiral galaxy. The composite shows it spanning nearly six full moons across Earth’s night. NASA’s daily astronomy feature pairs a space image with a short explanation written by a professional astronomer.
Key points
- The image shows Andromeda above hills near Mullion, Australia.
- In southern spring, Andromeda is highest there around midnight.
- The composite uses tracked, stacked frames and a separate foreground shot.
- M31 spans nearly six full moons in the image.