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SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/astro-andromeda-distance

About how far away is the Andromeda Galaxy?

Andromeda is about 2.5 million light-years away.

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  1. 250,000 light-years
  2. 2.5 million light-years ✔
  3. 25 million light-years

Why: Andromeda, also called M31, is the nearest giant spiral galaxy to the Milky Way. Its light still takes more than two million years to reach us.

Huh, didn't know that: From a dark site, Andromeda is visible to the naked eye as a faint oval smudge.

The dad joke
Andromeda is our nearest giant neighbor, but borrowing sugar takes ages.
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References

Answer: 2.5 million light-years. Andromeda, also called M31, is the nearest giant spiral galaxy to the Milky Way. Its light still takes more than two million years to reach us.

  1. The Architecture of the Galaxy openstax.org/books/astronomy-2e/pages/25-1-the-architecture-of-the-galaxy
    the Andromeda galaxy, which, at a distance of about 2.3 million light-years, is our nearest neighboring giant spiral galaxy
    Checked 2026-10-10.
  2. Messier 31 (The Andromeda Galaxy) science.nasa.gov/mission/hubble/science/explore-the-night-sky/hubble-messier-catalog/messier-31
    Though the galaxy is 2.5 million light-years away
    Checked 2026-10-10.

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