Distance to Andromeda
This is the distance between the Milky Way and the Andromeda galaxy, our nearest large galactic neighbour.
766.5 kpcDistanceWorlds apart
Distance to Andromeda vs Milky Way
What are they, and what does the difference actually look like?
Two things. One honest scale.
Meet the pair
What these two things are
Milky Way
The Milky Way is a spiral galaxy containing hundreds of billions of stars, including our Solar System.
30.66 kpcDiameterThe distance of Distance to Andromeda is about 25 times the diameter of Milky Way.
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Distance to Andromeda766.5 kpcDistance
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Milky Way30.66 kpcDiameter
Both marked spans share one linear scale. Artwork keeps its proportions; poses and surface detail are illustrative. A ruler represents the selected distance or unrolled circumference; it is not the physical size of the pictured body.
Measurements, assumptions & sources +
Distance to Andromeda
Approximate distance to our large galactic neighbour. This measures separation, not the galaxy’s diameter.
The marked distance is calibrated. Unmeasured illustration details are representative.
Milky Way
A rounded 100,000 light-year span of the stellar disk. Faint stars and the dark-matter halo extend farther; galaxies have no crisp rim.
The marked diameter is calibrated. Unmeasured illustration details are representative.
Change the comparison
Put something else beside it.
Measurement details
Why these numbers?
The visual compares distance with diameter. The records below preserve each value’s basis and caveats.
Distance to Andromeda
766.5 kpcDistance · approximate
Approximate distance to our large galactic neighbour. This measures separation, not the galaxy’s diameter.
Milky Way
30.66 kpcDiameter · approximate
A rounded 100,000 light-year span of the stellar disk. Faint stars and the dark-matter halo extend farther; galaxies have no crisp rim.
- Comparing
- Distance ↔ Diameter
- Relative size
- Distance to Andromeda is larger on this measurement by a factor of about 25.
How to read the visual
The labelled spans and stored measurements determine the scale; unmeasured illustration details do not.
- Distance to Andromeda is labelled approximate; treat the displayed value as a comparison anchor rather than false precision.
- Milky Way is labelled approximate; treat the displayed value as a comparison anchor rather than false precision.
There’s always another scale
Follow your curiosity.
SpaceDistance to Andromeda766.5 kpcThis is the distance between the Milky Way and the Andromeda galaxy, our nearest large galactic neighbour.SpaceMilky Way30.66 kpcThe Milky Way is a spiral galaxy containing hundreds of billions of stars, including our Solar System.SpaceEarth–Sun distance1 AUThe Earth–Sun distance, or astronomical unit, is the standard measure of separation between Earth and the Sun used in astronomy.
SpaceObservable universe28.21 GpcThe observable universe is the region from which light or other signals have had time to reach us since the early universe.
SpaceSun1,391,000 kmThe Sun is the star at the centre of the Solar System.SpaceDistance to the galactic centre7.972 kpcThis is the distance from the Solar System to the centre of the Milky Way galaxy.SpaceAndromeda galaxy79.72 kpcThe Andromeda galaxy, also called M31, is the nearest large spiral galaxy to the Milky Way.Side by side
Another point of view.
