Hats Off to NASA's Webb: Sombrero Galaxy Dazzles in New Image
Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)There鈥檚 somewhat of an inside joke in the astronomical community that researchers aren鈥檛 the best at naming things. For example, the first star observed by Webb is named HD 84406. Not so catchy. Neither is galaxy cluster MACS0416, a deep field imaged by Webb recently. There are exceptions to this, though. Think the Hourglass Nebula, the Cigar Galaxy, or the Cat鈥檚 Paw Nebula. All named for the objects on Earth that they resemble. The Sombrero Galaxy is aptly named for its likeness to the wide-brimmed hat. However, it appears the name is not always accurate, as NASA鈥檚 James Webb Space Telescope鈥檚 look shows. In the mid-infrared, the 'crown' of the 'hat' is no longer visible, causing the galaxy to take on a much different appearance.
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