The nearest galaxy to Earth is the Andromeda Galaxy, also known as Messier 31 or M31. It is located approximately 2.537 million light-years away from our Milky Way galaxy. The Andromeda Galaxy is a spiral galaxy similar in size and structure to our own galaxy, and it is visible to the naked eye as a faint, elongated patch of light in the night sky.
In addition to the Andromeda Galaxy, there are two other prominent galaxies that are considered close neighbors to the Milky Way:
The Triangulum Galaxy (Messier 33 or M33): Located about 2.73 million light-years away from Earth, the Triangulum Galaxy is the third-largest member of the Local Group of galaxies, which includes the Milky Way, the Andromeda Galaxy, and several smaller galaxies.
The Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC): The LMC is a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way, situated approximately 163,000 light-years away from Earth. It is one of the nearest known galaxies to us and can be observed from the Southern Hemisphere as a visible patch of light.
While the Andromeda Galaxy is the closest large spiral galaxy to the Milky Way, there are numerous dwarf galaxies and satellite galaxies that are in close proximity to our own galaxy.