Andromeda Galaxy's Double Nucleus

This zoom dives deep into the nucleus of the neighboring spiral galaxy M31, also known as the Andromeda galaxy. The sequence begins with a backyard constellation view and ends with the new Hubble Space Telescope image that centers on the 100-million-solar-mass black hole at the core of the galaxy and the young blue stars surrounding the black hole. This is the sharpest visible-light image ever made of the nucleus of an external galaxy. Astronomers are trying to understand how apparently young ...