NGC 7331 Spiral Galaxy
NGC 7331 is a large unbarred spiral galaxy located about 40 to 50 million light-years away in the constellation Pegasus. It is often compared to the Milky Way because of its similar size and structure, and it is one of the brightest galaxies in the northern sky for small telescopes.
NGC 7331 is the main member of a small galaxy grouping that appears near several fainter background galaxies, often called the Deer Lick Group by amateur astronomers.
The picture above was taken September 18, 2026. When I took the picture I did not reaalize I had captured something else interesting. It show a supernova (2026aaiv) that had only been discovered on September 1st. The picture below is annotated to show the location of the supernova.
This is a type 1a supernova. It is caused by a white dwarf star orbiting another star that scooped up so much matter from the central star that it started a sudden fusion reaction in the white dwarf star that caused it to explode violently.
