Messier 32 (also known as M32 and NGC 221) is a dwarf "early-type" galaxy about 2,490,000 light-years (760,000 pc) from the Solar System, appearing in the constellation Andromeda.

Gravitational tidal effects may also drive gas inward and trigger a star burst in the core of the small galaxy, resulting in the high density of M32 observed today.

Newer simulations find that an off-centre impact by M32 around 800 million years ago explains the present-day warp in M31's disk.

[19] According to this simulation, M31 (Andromeda) and M32p merged about two billion years ago, which could explain both the unusual makeup of the current M31 stellar halo, and the structure and content of M32.

Its stars and planetary nebulae do not appear obscured or reddened by foreground gas or dust.

[24][25][26][27][28][29] A centrally located faint radio and X-ray source (now named M32* in analogy to Sgr A*) is attributed to gas accretion onto the black hole.