Galaxies come in all shapes and sizes, and the galaxies most pleasing to the eye are always in the most recognizable shapes. Dramatic spirals with outstretched arms, bursting with newborn stars are always a jaw-dropping sight, after all. Messier 110 is most definitely not in that group.
Messier 110 is what is known as an elliptical galaxy. It doesn’t have well-formed features, and it’s not a swirling mass of eye candy. It’s just a big blob of stars hanging out around the nearby Andromeda galaxy. As far as galaxies go, it’s rather small, but NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has a certain knack for making even “small” destinations in space look larger than life.
As NASA explains, this photo of Messier 110 reveals the galaxy’s true personality. It’s not particularly flashy or fun, but it is absolutely packed with stars, and while there are no obvious star nurseries to be seen, scientists think new stars are still being born here.
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