                        Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                               2021 November 4

                             NGC 147 and NGC 185
                   Image Credit & Copyright: Dan Bartlett

   Explanation: Dwarf galaxies NGC 147 (left) and NGC 185 stand side by
   side in this sharp telescopic portrait. The two are not-often-imaged
   satellites of M31, the great spiral Andromeda Galaxy, some 2.5 million
   light-years away. Their separation on the sky, less than one degree
   across a pretty field of view, translates to only about 35 thousand
   light-years at Andromeda's distance, but Andromeda itself is found well
   outside this frame. Brighter and more famous satellite galaxies of
   Andromeda, M32 and M110, are seen closer to the great spiral. NGC 147
   and NGC 185 have been identified as binary galaxies, forming a
   gravitationally stable binary system. But recently discovered faint
   dwarf galaxy Cassiopeia II also seems to be part of their system,
   forming a gravitationally bound group within Andromeda's intriguing
   population of small satellite galaxies.

                     Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
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