                        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.

                              2023 September 14

                             NGC 7331 and Beyond
                  Image Credit & Copyright: Ian Gorenstein

   Explanation: Big, beautiful spiral galaxy NGC 7331 is often touted as
   an analog to our own Milky Way. About 50 million light-years distant in
   the northern constellation Pegasus, NGC 7331 was recognized early on as
   a spiral nebula and is actually one of the brighter galaxies not
   included in Charles Messier's famous 18th century catalog. Since the
   galaxy's disk is inclined to our line-of-sight, long telescopic
   exposures often result in images that evokes a strong sense of depth.
   The effect is further enhanced in this sharp image by galaxies that lie
   beyond the gorgeous island universe. The most prominent background
   galaxies are about one tenth the apparent size of NGC 7331 and so lie
   roughly ten times farther away. Their close alignment on the sky with
   NGC 7331 occurs just by chance. Lingering above the plane of the Milky
   Way, this striking visual grouping of galaxies is known to some as the
   Deer Lick Group.

                    Tomorrow's picture: good morning moon
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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