Hubble captures one of a pair of hat-shaped galaxies, the Little Sombrero

By Georgina Torbet May 15, 2022

This week’s image from the Hubble Space Telescope shows the delightfully named Little Sombrero galaxy, called that for its long thin shape with a bulge in the middle which is reminiscent of the shape of the traditional Mexican hat.

The Little Sombrero galaxy, also known as NGC 7814 or Caldwell 43, is located 40 million light-years away and is relatively small, at 80,000 light-years across. For reference, our Milky Way galaxy is larger at around 106,000 light-years across. The Little Sombrero has another distinctive feature as well as its shape, as it is a particularly dusty galaxy. Dust accumulates in its disk in particular, while its central bulge is brighter and full of stars illuminating the gas around them.

NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has allowed astronomers to view galaxies of all shapes and sizes from nearly every angle. When a galaxy is seen edge-on, the mesmerizing perspective reveals a dazzling slice of the universe. The “Little Sombrero,” also known as NGC 7814 or Caldwell 43, is one such galaxy. Image used with permission by copyright holder

The Little Sombrero is one of a matched pair of galaxies, with an older sibling named the Sombrero galaxy. The Sombrero galaxy is actually about the same size as the Little Sombrero, but because it is closer to us it appears to be larger in the sky. The Sombrero galaxy, also known as Messier 104, is located 28 million light-years away and shares a similar shape of a wide disk seen edge-on, with a central bulge.

Recommended Videos

The Sombrero galaxy has also been captured by Hubble, in a famous image released in 2003. This galaxy is also seen edge-on from Earth, so it has a similar shape. This image was chosen to celebrate Hubble’s five-year anniversary for its high level of detail showing the magnificent galaxy as captured in what was at the time one of the largest mosaics ever assembled from Hubble data. It was created from six separate images to capture the full galaxy in all its glory.

NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has trained its razor-sharp eye on one of the universe’s most stately and photogenic galaxies, the Sombrero galaxy, Messier 104 (M104). The galaxy’s hallmark is a brilliant white, bulbous core encircled by the thick dust lanes comprising the spiral structure of the galaxy. NASA and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI /AURA )

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Tech News

Georgina Torbet

Space Writer

Georgina is the Digital Trends space writer, covering human space exploration, planetary science, and cosmology. She…

Space

The expansion rate of the universe still has scientists baffled

The question of how fast the universe is expanding continues to confound scientists. Although it might seem like a fairly straightforward issue, the reality is that it has been perplexing the best minds in physics and astronomy for decades -- and new research using the James Webb Space Telescope and the Hubble Space Telescope doesn't make the answer any clearer.

Scientists know that the universe is expanding over time, but what they can't agree on is the rate at which this is happening -- called the Hubble constant. There are two main methods used to estimate this constant: one that looks at how fast distant galaxies are moving away from us, and one that looks at leftover energy from the Big Bang called the cosmic microwave background. The trouble is, these two methods give different results.

Space

See what James Webb and Hubble are observing right now with this tool

If you're looking for a relaxing way to peruse the fascinating sights of space on your lunch break, then a newly updated tool from NASA has you covered. The Space Telescope Live tools show the current targets of the James Webb Space Telescope and the Hubble Space Telescope, letting you browse the cosmos from the perspective of two of the hardest-working telescopes out there.

You can visit the web-based tools at WebbTelescope for the James Webb Space Telescope and HubbleSite for the Hubble Space Telescope. Clicking on a link will bring you to a portal showing the current and past observations of the telescope and a ton of detail about the observations.

Space

Hubble spots a massive star forming amid clouds of dust and gas

A stunning new image from the Hubble Space Telescope shows the birth of a new, massive star at around 30 times the mass of our sun. Nestled with a nearby star-forming region called IRAS 16562-3959, the baby star is located within our galaxy and around 5,900 light-years from Earth.

You can see the sparkle of bright stars throughout the image, with the star-forming region visible as the orange-colored clouds of dust and gas stretching diagonally across the frame. These clouds are where dust and gas clump together to form knots, gradually attracting more dust and gas, growing over time to become protostars.