Celestial hemisphere:  Southern  ·  Constellation: Virgo (Vir)  ·  Contains:  M 104  ·  NGC 4594  ·  Sombrero Galaxy
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The Sombrero Galaxy (M104), Prabhakaran
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The Sombrero Galaxy (M104)

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The Sombrero Galaxy (M104), Prabhakaran
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The Sombrero Galaxy (M104)

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Description

The Sombrero galaxy (also known as M104) is famous for its nearly edge-on profile featuring a brilliant, white, bulbous core encircled by thick dust lanes comprising the spiral structure of the galaxy, the swath of cosmic dust lends a broad-brimmed hat-like appearance to the galaxy suggesting a more popular moniker, the Sombrero Galaxy. This dust lane is the site of star formation in the galaxy. The center of M104 is thought to be home to a massive black hole. About 50,000 light-years across and 28 million light-years away, M104 is one of the largest galaxies at the southern edge of the Virgo Galaxy Cluster.

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The Sombrero Galaxy (M104), Prabhakaran