The Andromeda Galaxy is approximately 2.5 million light-years away from Earth. More precisely, estimates place it around 2.54 to 2.57 million light-years (about 765 kiloparsecs) distant, based on multiple measurement techniques including Cepheid variables and eclipsing binary stars
. To put this in perspective, a light-year is the distance light travels in one year-about 5.88 trillion miles (9.46 trillion kilometers)-so Andromeda is about 2.5 million times that distance away
. This galaxy is the nearest major galaxy to the Milky Way and is the largest member of our Local Group of galaxies, with a diameter of roughly 152,000 light-years
. Despite this vast distance, Andromeda is moving toward the Milky Way at about 110 kilometers per second and is expected to collide and merge with our galaxy in roughly 4 to 5 billion years
