Title: Sombrero Galaxy - Messier 104 - M104
Description:
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.
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