Astronomers using NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope have obtained a new image of the edge-on spiral galaxy NGC 7814.
This image from the Hubble Space Telescope shows the spiral galaxy NGC 7814. Image credit: ESA / Hubble / NASA.
NGC 7814, sometimes called the Little Sombrero, is located in the constellation Pegasus, approximately 47.6 million light-years away. It was discovered in 1784 by German-born British astronomer William Herschel.
Its larger namesake, the Sombrero Galaxy (Messier 104), is another stunning example of an edge-on galaxy.
In fact, the Little Sombrero is about the same size as its bright namesake at about 60,000 light-years across, but as it lies farther away, and so appears smaller in the sky.
NGC 7814 is one half of a pair of galaxies, the other being NGC 891.
The galaxy is an example of a bulge dominated galaxy.
It has a bright central bulge and a bright halo of glowing gas extending outwards into space.
The dusty spiral arms appear as dark streaks.
They consist of dusty material that absorbs and blocks light from the galactic center behind it.
The field of view of this Hubble image would be very impressive even without NGC 7814 in front; nearly all the objects seen in this image are galaxies as well.
