NGC 224 (M31)

1. NGC 224. The great Andromeda galaxy The great Andromeda galaxy can be readily examined with the naked eye or with telescopes of any size. Under exceptional conditions, careful and experienced observers using large binoculars have traced the length of this galaxy to over 5°. A 6-inch telescope will reveal a tiny starlike nucleus and perhaps traces of the spiral arms that are so conspicuous on photographs. With a 12-inch or larger telescope, several faint globular clusters surrounding this galaxy can be detected, provided their locations have been pinpointed from photographs. Only 0°.6 to the south of M31, and visible in the same low-power field, lies its companion NGC 221 (M32). This 8th magnitude elliptical galaxy is about 3' in diameter and is superimposed on the dimly glowing disk of its huge neighbor. M32 is often confused with NGC 205, which is found 0°.7 northwest of M31's core. This 9th-magnitude galaxy is also elliptical, though with an elongated (10' by 4') disk. Both of these companion galaxies would be better known were they not upstaged by nearby M31.