Alternate Names

NGC 224

Type

Supermassive

Location

in the constellation Andromeda

Finder Chart

Distance

2.5 million light-years (0.78 megaparsecs)

Mass

30 million times the mass of the Sun

Size

Diameter roughly equal to the orbit of Venus.

Discovery Methods

• Measuring the motions of stars

A close-up view of the disk of M31. Bright young stars outline the spiral arms, which are intertwined with dark lanes of dust that absorb light from the stars behind them. [T.A.Rector and B.A.Wolpa/NOAO/AURA/NSF]

This document was last modified: October 21, 2005.