What is the specific designation given to the object known as the Andromeda Nebula?
Answer
M31
The object that Hubble focused his powerful 100-inch Hooker Telescope upon, which was commonly referred to as the Andromeda Nebula, is formally designated as M31 in the Messier catalog. Hubble concentrated his efforts on M31 with the express purpose of finding a Cepheid variable within its spiral arms. The successful identification of such a star provided the quantitative data needed to prove M31 was an independent galaxy far outside the confines of the Milky Way.
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