amateur observing - What is the object in this photo?

Your guess was correct. It is the Andromeda Galaxy, M31.

Here is a map of the part of the sky near zenith at the place and time you provided: Sky map for Taganrog, Russia on 11/23/2013 5:00:00 PM UTC. Even the rotation is small. The sky map is rotated approximately 30° counter clockwise relative to the photo. You were approximately facing south when taking it.

On your picture there is a part of the Andromeda constellation. I will use only a small bottom part of your picture (below the imaginary horizontal line going through M31) to identify the constellation.

• The bright star to the left of M31, very close to the edge is μ Andromedae (marked 37 μ And on the sky map). It is the star between Mirach (out of photo) and M31.


• On the bottom of the right part of the photograph you see three stars on a imaginary vertical line: ψ, κ and ι Andromedae.


• Between ψ and κ, to the right there is λ Andromedae (marked 16 λ And and connected with μ on the sky map).

The bottom of the three stars in the upper-left corner of your photo is φ Andromedae (connected by the vertical line with 37 μ And on the sky map).

The 1 ο And on the sky map is not on your photo.