#m104

"Little Sombrero"

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 estensive halo 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.

Image Credit & Copyright: Mike Selby