The Sombrero Galaxy
The widely photographed Sombrero galaxy, officially named Messier 104 (M104), contains a bright, bulbous core and hallmark dust lanes. The Sombrero, named for the broad-brimmed and high-topped Mexican hat, is a spiral galaxy somewhat like our own Milky Way. But it is seen nearly edge-on from our vantagepoint.This view was taken by amateur astrophotographer Morris Wade with the help of a professional astronomer, at a nightly observing program at the Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona. The program is designed to introduce total amateurs to the art and science of astronomy and astrophotography.The galaxy is 50,000 light-years across and is located 28 million light-years from Earth. It is just beyond the reach of naked-eye observations but can be spotted with small telescopes. It resides amid a Southern Hemisphere cluster of galaxies called Virgo.The bright core of M104, in both visible light and X-rays, suggests to astronomers that a supermassive black hole lurks there. Its mass would accelerate incoming gas to tremendous velocity, heating the gas and generating the emissions. |
