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NASA’s Hubble Shows Star Formation in Andromeda Galaxy Winding Down
A new study using data from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope finds that star formation in the nearby Andromeda galaxy has undergone a 500-million-year decline, with an even steeper drop in the last 40 million years. Andromeda, a spiral galaxy comparable in size to our Milky Way, is close enough to be seen with the unaided eye from areas with dark skies. Located about 2.5 million light-years from Earth, practically our cosmic backyard, Andromeda offers an opportunity for astronomers to examine its stellar populations in detail, leading to better understanding of the past of galaxies like our own.
To reach this conclusion, the researchers combined data from two Hubble surveys: the Panchromatic Hubble Andromeda Treasury and the Panchromatic Hubble Andromeda Southern Treasury. Together, these two surveys mapped two-thirds of the disk of Andromeda in ultra-sharp detail. In total, the team measured about 200 million individual stars across the galaxy, giving them a detailed picture of Andromeda’s past activity.
Hubble telescope takes one of the most detailed looks at neighboring Andromeda galaxy ever — Space photo of the week
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Andromeda’s star formation is slowing down
Star formation in the nearby Andromeda Galaxy (M31) has been slowing down over the last 500 million years, according to a new study using Hubble Space Telescope data.
The study was published July 27, 2026, in The Astrophysical Journal. Lead author Tobin Wainer, an astronomer at the University of Washington, and his team used data from two Hubble surveys to trace star formation across roughly two-thirds of Andromeda’s disk. Scientists already knew that Andromeda went through a star production boom some 2 billion years ago. The new study reveals that over the last half-billion years, that boom steadily slowed down. Then, in the last 40 million years, the rate decreased even more sharply. By tracing that history, astronomers hope to learn not only about Andromeda, but also about the past of galaxies like our own Milky Way.
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