Credit & Copyright:
David Martinez-Delgado (
ARI-ZAH, Univ.
Heidelberg)
Explanation:
Point your telescope toward the high flying
constellation
Pegasus
and you can find this
expanse of Milky Way stars and distant galaxies.
Centered on NGC 7814, the pretty
field of view
would almost
be covered by a full moon.
NGC 7814 is
sometimes called the Little Sombrero for its
resemblance to the brighter more famous M104,
the Sombrero Galaxy.
Both Sombrero and Little Sombrero are spiral galaxies
seen edge-on, and both have extensive central
bulges cut by a thinner disk with dust lanes in silhouette.
In fact, NGC 7814
is some 40 million light-years away and an
estimated 60,000 light-years across.
That actually makes the Little Sombrero about the same physical size as
its better known namesake, appearing to be smaller and fainter
only because it is farther away.
A very faint dwarf galaxy,
potentially a satellite of NGC 7814,
is revealed in the deep exposure just below the Little Sombrero.
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Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: spiral galaxy
Publications with words: spiral galaxy
See also: