The Sombrero Galaxy - M104
This image of the Sombrero Galaxy was made at the [url=https://www.facebook.com/WAS.CT?__cft__[0]=AZV929sBtbpDatTWFjb1eAqtTToRfkq_l5227PPeRzQRCN5Wl39sgs-Mg5IaGm8Q4CAWdj3PN-Qsv4IE1GVDzyULQ-q5DJXf9DoKH59qf4dLxInrhuo4siG5sRqfRV3U3Ec5pzLuOt-_YNQlLDclprW8Eo22C5-isOs7YOurvBgthDVJQ7ZrVdhx-eVvFXixuqs&__tn__=-]K-R]Westport Astronomical Society[/url]'s Celestron 14" EdgeHD SCT Reflector last evening. I was getting especially good guiding and as a result, the dust lanes have some crazy detail (which I'm hoping FB does not down sample!).
From Wikipedia;
The Sombrero Galaxy (also known as Messier Object 104, M104 or NGC 4594) is a peculiar galaxy of unclear classification[5] in the constellation borders of Virgo and Corvus, being about 9.55 megaparsecs (31.1 million light-years)[2] 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.[6] It has a diameter of approximately 15 kiloparsecs (49,000 light-years),[7] 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.[8]
The galaxy has an apparent magnitude of +8.0,[7] making it easily visible with amateur telescopes, and is considered by some authors to be the galaxy with the highest absolute magnitude within a radius of 10 megaparsecs of the Milky Way.[4] Its large bulge, central supermassive black hole, and dust lane all attract the attention of professional astronomers. [url=https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FSombrero_Galaxy%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR2e_ok7VXz-fBux5OT0SyAgcEG-ljQ_aSl1l5uTa9_M_FRC02t2XruIWB0&h=AT3mO7wjNKRH4kBiJvnnh38KYg8nIGjIaILEpkDY98BDsFJjocbJPphJ8DDBZszOcM21JB8idG0KuXNLyvKcuv4Hz4ay8qEUTDyeVSdvw8XzWJa6FYp9_1a8-QlkRfM3IWoXths&__tn__=-UK-R&c[0]=AT3Ed10HCPL1W4xzWbtHQejK3ZGMANhY2h_n2Ur-ofuj-0qD_ESCme9ujUxaN6vZQADtPWFS4JmAIPiz2WOwpDbvfN-0AeogyvUeTlYhEDYcpEVWUj5niH84dBgJt91t8G4kze4G9Yu6rH5joNV0WzMaHoB8YJpqwHo9uBmY1borCpRD1fPsisoCKGcpEzz0IgP8W1AT3vJv_M4]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sombrero_Galaxy[/url]
Target: M104 - the Sombrero Galaxy
Location: The Westport Astronomical Society, Westport, CT
Date: 4/11/2023
Lights: 49 @ 120s
Flats: 30
Flat Darks: 30
Darks: 40
Bias: 110
Telescope: Celstron 14" EdgeHD SCT
Guiding Scope: 102mm refractor
Modifiers (eg: reducers or filters): NONE
Camera: Nikon D750a
Mount: Astrophysics 1200 GTO
Software - telescope management: TheSky
Software - guiding: PHD2
Software - integration: PixInsight
Software - Finishing: Photoshop, Lightroom, DXO Silver EFEX 3.0