Largest ever photomosaic of Andromeda galaxy from NASA's Hubble

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has completed the most extensive survey of the Andromeda galaxy, revealing significant insights into its evolutionary history. This survey, which took over a decade and involved more than 600 overlapping images, produced the largest photomosaic ever created from Hubble observations. The Andromeda galaxy, located 2.5 million light-years from Earth, is a crucial subject for understanding the structure and evolution of galaxies, particularly because it is the nearest large galaxy to the Milky Way. Hubble's observations have resolved around 200 million stars, providing a detailed view of Andromeda's stellar population, which is estimated to contain over 1 trillion stars. The findings suggest that Andromeda has experienced a more active star formation history compared to the Milky Way, likely due to past mergers with smaller galaxies. This research will aid future studies by the James Webb Space Telescope and the upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, enhancing our understanding of galaxy formation and evolution.

- Hubble's survey of Andromeda is the largest photomosaic ever created from its observations.

- The Andromeda galaxy is crucial for understanding galaxy structure and evolution due to its proximity.

- Hubble resolved approximately 200 million stars in Andromeda, revealing its dynamic history.

- The findings indicate Andromeda has a more active star formation history than the Milky Way.

- Future observations by other telescopes will build on Hubble's extensive dataset.