M104 Sombrero Galaxy using the SkyWatcher Esprit 120mm Refractor · 2023-04-14
The Sombrero Galaxy (also known as Messier Object 104 or NGC 4594) is a peculiar galaxy of unclear classification in the constellation borders of Virgo and Corvus, being about 31.1 million light-years from the Milky Way galaxy.
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The Sombrero Galaxy (also known as Messier Object 104 or NGC 4594) is a peculiar galaxy of unclear classification in the constellation borders of Virgo and Corvus, being about 31.1 million light-years from the Milky Way galaxy. It is a member of the Virgo II Groups, a series of galaxies and galaxy clusters strung out from the southern edge of the Virgo Supercluster. It has a diameter of approximately 49,000 light-years, three-tenths the size of the Milky Way.
It has a bright nucleus, an unusually large central bulge, and a prominent dust lane in its outer disk, which is viewed almost edge-on. The dark dust lane and the bulge give it the appearance of a sombrero hat (thus the name). Astronomers initially thought the halo was small and light, indicative of a spiral galaxy; but the Spitzer Space Telescope found that the dust ring was larger and more massive than previously thought, indicative of a giant elliptical galaxy. Wikipedia - Sombrero Galaxy
