Island Universe, Cosmic Sand . ... Flashing from lower left to upper right, the bright meteor would have been an easy eyeful though, as friction with Earth's atmosphere vaporized the hurtling grain of cosmic sand , a piece of dust from Comet Swift-Tuttle . Just above and left of center, well beyond the stars of the Milky Way, lies the island universe known as M31 or the Andromeda galaxy. ... NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers . NASA Official: Jay Norris. ...