system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
Andromeda is the closest galaxy to the Milky Way but is the Milky Way the closest galaxy to Andromeda?
gpt
The Local Group basically consists of two large galaxies - the Milky Way and Andromeda - each with their own systems of dwarf galaxies orbiting around them. There are also a few other small galaxies floating around. Then there's quite a lot of open space around the Local Group with very few "field" galaxies, until you reach other groups and clusters.

So the Milky Way and Andromeda are the closest *large* galaxies to each other. But for each galaxy, the closest galaxy *of any mass* would be one of the small satellite galaxies. Some of these satellite dwarf galaxies are even merging with the more massive host galaxies.