Gemini Probes The Center Of Andromeda Galaxy With Unprecedented Clarity

The locations of the NIRI/Altair and HST/NICMOS fields are shown with respect to an optical image mosaic of M31, courtesy of the NOAO Local Group Survey (Massey et al. 2006). The image is roughly 2.5 degrees on a side, or 5 times the diameter of the full moon.