                        Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                               2025 January 23

                          NGC 7814: Little Sombrero
                    Image Credit & Copyright: Mike Selby

   Explanation: Point your telescope toward the high flying constellation
   Pegasus and you can find this cosmic expanse of Milky Way stars and
   distant galaxies. NGC 7814 is centered in the sharp field of view that
   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 halos and central bulges
   cut by a thin disk with thinner 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 smaller and
   fainter only because it is farther away.

                 Tomorrow's picture: a tail and a telescope
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