Andromeda belongs to the Local Group, the name given to galaxies in our immediate area. This image provides a close view of AndromedaΓÇÖs central bulge. The thin line running diagonally above the galaxy has nothing to do with Andromeda; it is the trail left by a satellite orbiting the Earth.
Galaxies are often categorized into types according to their general shape. Are they elliptical or disk- shaped? Is there a bar in the center? Disk galaxies are futher sorted according to their most prominent feature: spiral arms or bulge. In Andromeda, both the bulge and the spiral arms are equally noticeable. At the center of AndromedaΓÇÖs bulge is a bright nucleus that looks very much like a star. Recent observa- tions by the Hubble Space Telescope
