Neighboring Galaxies From Two Hemispheres

Images are taken in 2014 and 2016 in the northern and southern hemispheres.

The two brightest galaxies of northern and southern skies are the Andromeda Galaxy (M31) and Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) respectively. M31 (right) is the nearest major galaxy to the Milky Way; 2.5 million light years away, which makes it the most distant object easily seen by the unaided eye. It is a fine sight in the autumn months of northern hemisphere. LMC (left), on the other hand, is a dwarf galaxy bound to the Milky Way, about 160,000 light years away, and the brightest galaxy visible in our entire sky. But this brightness comes from a large area, about 11×9 degrees, so its surface brightness is relatively low. As LMC lies in the deep southern constellations of Mensa and Dorado, its visibility is limited to southern hemisphere and equatorial regions and best visible between November and February (and circumpolar in temperate south). But in fact it is possible to glimpse the Large Magellanic Cloud from unusually northern locations when the sky is extra clear. Such was the view when I shot this panorama after a rainstorm from Ka Lae in Hawaii, also known as South Point. This is the southernmost point in the state of Hawaii and all USA, at about 19° N.

Andromeda Galaxy is nowhere as close to the celestial pole as LMC, but its position does pose difficulty to observers in temperate south. The image is captured by astrophotographer Sergio Montúfar in Argentina. M31 is just 7 degrees above the northern horizon. He captured the image at Isla de los Pájaros, Península de Valdés, Chubut, at about 42° S. As a bonus, Sergio’s picture also shows M33 Triangulum Galaxy at the upper right, which is the second brightest galaxy in the northern hemisphere.