The Deer Lick Group is a striking line-of-sight gathering in Pegasus. The dominant galaxy, NGC 7331—also cataloged as Caldwell 30—lies about 45 million light-years away. Seen at a steep angle, its dusty disk, bright central bulge, and rich spiral structure make it one of the sky’s finest galaxy targets.

The four much smaller-looking galaxies nearby—NGC 7335, NGC 7336, NGC 7337, and NGC 7340—are nicknamed the “fleas.” They are not close companions of NGC 7331; they sit hundreds of millions of light-years farther away, creating a dramatic false grouping through chance alignment.

This Deep Sky Hawaiʻi image also records SN 2026aaiv, a Type Ia supernova near the core of NGC 7331. First detected by the ATLAS survey on September 1, 2026, its light crossed roughly 45 million years of space before reaching Earth.

The nickname “Deer Lick Group” belongs to modern observing culture: NGC 7331 is the great galaxy, while the tiny background galaxies scattered beside it are affectionately called its “fleas.” The playful name turns an accidental alignment into one of the deep sky’s most memorable visual stories.

The field lies in Pegasus, the winged horse of Greek mythology. Pegasus sprang from the blood of Medusa and later carried the hero Bellerophon into battle against the Chimera. In the night sky, the Great Square of Pegasus is the bright landmark that leads observers toward NGC 7331.