What is the local group?

The picture above is of one side of the Andromeda Galaxy. It is part what astronomers call the Local Group, and along with the Milky Way, it is the largest galaxy in it. The local group was first recognized by Hubble and it is spread out a total of 10 million light years wide. There are thirty galaxies total, that have been discovered. 

Two things determine if a galaxy is part of the local group, and that is distance and velocity. The galaxies that are in the local group are in the picture below:

There are probably many more members of the local group that scientists haven't discovered yet.

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