The
Sombrero Galaxy (also known as
Messier Object 104,
M104 or
NGC 4594) is a
peculiar galaxy of unclear
classification=10.5px in the
constellation borders of
Virgo and
Corvus, being about 9.55
megaparsecs (31.1 million
light-years) from our galaxy, within the
local supercluster. It has a diameter of approximately 15 kiloparsecs (49,000 light-years),=10.5px 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. 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. The galaxy has an
apparent magnitude of +8.0, 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.=10.5px Its large bulge, central
supermassive black hole, and dust lane all attract the attention of professional astronomers.
Source: Wikipedia
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