David Klingenhagen, age 12, of Edison, New Jersey, for his question:

Is the Andromeda galaxy visible?

This depends on the season, the weather and your eyesight. The time to see the Great Nebula in Andromeda is in the fall, on a clear, starry night. You also must know just where to look. If everything is in your favor, chances are you will see the Andromeda galaxy. But from a distance of about 100,000 light years. You might mistake it for one of the dimmest visible stars.

Find the Great Square of Pegasus, with a bright star at each corner. You can locate it by extending a line from the North Star through the end star of Cassiopeia. It leads you to two bright stars on one side of the square. The brighter star on the opposite side of the square is Alpheratez    the star on the head of Andromeda. This constellation looks like a narrow triangle. The long side leads to Andromeda's foot. The other side makes a slight bend. There, near Andromeda's hand, is the huge and distant galaxy that looks like a dim star.