Messier 31 is also the closest large galaxy to our own and will eventually merge with the Milky Way. M31 is one of the brightest galaxies in our skies and can be spotted with the naked eye, even from moderately dark locations.

This is one of my first attempts at photographing a galaxy. M31 is the beginners choice since it's big, bright and spectacular. This one was done from a dark site, the Kootenay Plains on the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains.