Where in the night sky is the Andromeda galaxy from North America?

Answer 1

The Great Nebula in Andromeda, which is called the "Andromeda galaxy" and is more formally known by its Messier number as "M31 in Andromeda", is between the constellations of Andromeda and Cassiopeia. At this season (January 30, 2011) it is about 60 degrees above the northwestern horizon at sunset.

I recommend the open-source planetarium program Stellarium, available from www.stellarium.org, as being the best planetarium software program available. And it's free!

The best time to see the Andromeda galaxy, is mid-November. On November 15th, at 9:00 PM, Andromeda galaxy is almost at the zenith (directly above your head). On a very clear, preferably moonless night, look up, and toward the north. Look for a little "wisp" of light. It will be on a straight line from the north horizon to the south horizon, near the zenith, but a bit to the north. It is very rewarding in 10 power binoculars. To see it at other times of the year, you'll need to become familiar with start charts and the night sky in general - what I've given you is the easiest way to see it. Right now, (Feb. 1st) it is near the Northwest horizon at 9:00 PM, and harder to see.

Andromeda galaxy is the only thing viewable with the naked eye that is outside of our own Milky Way galaxy. Everything else you see in the night sky with your naked eye is within our own galaxy.

Answer 2

The Andromeda galaxy can be found in the northern sky, in the constellation of Andromeda. It is visible to the naked eye as a faint smudge of light under dark skies, and can be seen in the fall and winter months in North America. It is located roughly 2.5 million light-years away from Earth.