We do have a close-up view of a similar galaxy - our own. While the milky way, which is a part of our galaxy that does not resolve as individual stars, is not e

We do have a close-up view of a similar galaxy - our own. While the milky way, which is a part of our galaxy that does not resolve as individual stars, is not exactly bright, it appears quite a lot brighter than Andromeda. (It would appear brighter still if not partially obscured by dust in the galactic plane, which we are viewing edge-on. In particular, it blocks most of the galactic core.)