The Hubble space telescope has taken the highest resolution image ever made of a galaxy. The image is so detailed that it’s possible to resolve individual stars in a 61,000 light-year wide panorama.

Andromeda is the Milky Way’s nearest neighbour, 2.5 million light- years away from us. The image, taken as part of the Panchromatic Hubble Andromeda Treasury (PHAT) programme, was formed from over 7398 individual images taken over 411 pointings.

It was formed from images taken in the near-ultraviolet, visible and near-infrared parts of the spectrum. Much of the image shows large dust structures. The centre of the galaxy is filled with densely packed stars. Large groups of blue stars indicate star forming regions.