M32 is one of the two small satellite
galaxies of their more famous partner, M31. It is an elliptical
dwarf galaxy with a diameter of only 8,000 light-years. M32 was
the first elliptical galaxy to be discovered, and is the closest
elliptical galaxy to us. Its close proximity gives it a visual
magnitude of 8.2, which is quite bright for a galaxy. It can
easily be seen with a good pair of binoculars or a small
telescope.
