Messier 31 is the Great Galaxy in Andromeda. This galaxy is a gigantic collection of more than 300 billion stars that is located 2.5 million light-years from Earth. Companion dwarf elliptical galaxies M32 (NGC 221) and M110 (NGC 205) are also visible, as well as NGC 206, a stellar association inside of M31. M31 and its companions are part of our local group of galaxies, which includes the Milky Way, the Magellanic Clouds, and M33. M31 may be heading towards our Milky Way Galaxy and might collide with it and possibly merge into a gigantic elliptical galaxy in 3 billion years.