totally can take alot of time (and attention) off that reading you're doing for your dissertation.
that's the sombrero galaxy, or M104, part of the virgo constellation.
ps: it would be interesting to note that before looking at this, i had been putting the search engine to good use, looking for Ursa major, Leo, Orion, Orion Nebula, the North Star, etc. all the usual. and testing my skills of identifying the constellations. (with as you can see, wikipedia on as well.)
you can see the stars, galaxies, nebulas, blackholes till its absolute closeness. uber coolness.
