{"id":56527,"date":"2024-03-21T14:21:13","date_gmt":"2024-03-21T14:21:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/36402416-acc5-4048-bec3-639de05dcbe1"},"modified":"2024-03-21T15:33:54","modified_gmt":"2024-03-21T15:33:54","slug":"the-galaxy-thats-mistaken-for-a-hat-a-guide-to-the-sombrero-an-edge-on-springtime-spiral-galaxy","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/rss_feed\/the-galaxy-thats-mistaken-for-a-hat-a-guide-to-the-sombrero-an-edge-on-springtime-spiral-galaxy\/","title":{"rendered":"The galaxy that’s mistaken for a hat! A guide to the Sombrero, an edge-on springtime spiral galaxy"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Sombrero Galaxy is an edge-on galaxy in Virgo that resembles the famous broad style of headwear. <\/p>

By Lee Dyson\n <\/p>

Published: Thursday, 21 March 2024 at 14:21 PM<\/p>

\n\n

The Sombrero Galaxy, M104, is an edge-on galaxy<\/a> located 28 million lightyears away in the Virgo constellation.<\/p>

Shining at a magnitude of 8.0, the Sombrero Galaxy cannot be seen with the naked eye, but you can easily see it through binoculars or a small telescope on a clear, dark night.<\/p>

It’s best seen during springtime and can be found on the border of constellations Virgo and Corvus, not far from star Spica.<\/p>

Through binoculars, the Sombrero Galaxy looks like a small oval smudge of light, but through a decent telescope its hat-like shape is obvious.<\/p>

This is also true of the magnificent Hubble Space Telescope image of M104, which really shows off its intricate beauty.<\/p>

A chart showing how to find M104, the Sombrero Galaxy. Click to expand.<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Facts about the Sombrero Galaxy<\/strong><\/h2>

M104, as it is formally known in the famous Messier Catalogue<\/a>, is nicknamed the Sombrero Galaxy due to its edge-on appearance, which makes it look like the famous broad style of hat.<\/p>

With a mass of about 800 billion Suns, it’s one of the most massive objects in the Virgo Galaxy Cluster (which also contains the famous Markarian’s Chain<\/a>).<\/p>

It’s an edge-on galaxy<\/a>, meaning we see only see it edge-on from our perspective on Earth, as opposed to the beautiful face-on spiral galaxies that tend to hog the limelight!<\/p>

Like many other edge-on galaxies such as the Needle Galaxy<\/a> and NGC 891<\/a>, the spiral structure of the Sombrero Galaxy is hidden from us here on Earth, due to the galaxy’s tilt.<\/p>

What is visible in images, however, is the thick dust lane bisecting the bright galactic centre.<\/p>

A supermassive black hole 1 billion times the mass of our Sun lies at the galaxy’s core.<\/p>

\"A
A Hubble Space Telescope image of the Sombrero Galaxy. Credit: NASA and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI\/AURA)<\/figcaption><\/figure>

The Sombrero Galaxy’s prominent dust lane is a region of fierce star formation, as gas and dust coalesces and collapses to ignite the process of star formation.<\/p>

It’s also thought to be home to up to 2,000 globular clusters<\/a>, which at about 10-13 billion years old are some of the oldest objects in the Universe.<\/p>

It may not be as flashy as some other face-on spirals, but we think this is one of the most beautiful known galaxies, and it’s not surprising that it’s a popular target for astrophotographers and observers alike.<\/p>

Images<\/strong><\/h2>

Below is a selection of images of the Sombrero Galaxy.<\/p>

For more info on how to photograph galaxies, read our deep-sky astrophotography guide<\/a> or our tutorial on image processing<\/a>.<\/p>

And don’t forget to send us your images<\/a>. You can also share them with us via Facebook<\/a>, Twitter<\/a> and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>

\"A
A Hubble Space Telescope image of the Sombrero Galaxy. Credit: NASA and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI\/AURA)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
\"M104,
M104, the Sombrero Galaxy by Drew Evans, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA, 15-18 April 2023Equipment: ZWO ASI2600MM Pro mono APS-C camera, Sharpstar SCA260 Aspherical Cassegrain Astrograph, iOptron CEM120 mount<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
\"The
The Sombrero GalaxyDan Crowson, remotely via Telescope Live, El Sauce Observatory, Chile, August\u2013September 2022Equipment: QHY 600M camera, PlaneWave CDK24<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
\"M104
M104 Sombero Galaxy by Mark Griffith, Swindon, Wiltshire, UK. Equipment: Teleskop service 12″ Richey-Chretien telescope, Skywatcher EQ8 mount,Atik 383L camera, Astronomik LRGB filters, Hutech IDAS light pollution filter.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
\"M104
M104 by Dan Crowson, Animas, New Mexico, USA. Equipment: SBIG STF-8300M, Astro-Tech AT12RCT at f\/8 2432mm.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
\"M104
M104 by Chris Price, Georgia, USA. Equipment: Orion Newt f3.9 8″ astrograph, Celestron CG-5 GT, Canon T3i modded<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
\"Sombrero
Sombrero Galaxy by Scott Phillips, Wales, UK. Equipment: Iphone 5a, Orion SteadyPix Adapter, NightCap Pro App<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
\"M104
M104 Sombrero Galaxy by Mark Griffith, Swindon, Wiltshire, UK. Equipment: Celestron C11 Sct, Skywatcher NEQ6 pro mount,Atik 383L camera, motorised filter wheel and Astronomik filters.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
\"Sombrero
Sombrero Galaxy by Mark Casto, Halesworth, Suffolk, UK. Equipment: Skywatcher 200p on an EQ5 mount, Canon 350D modded camera.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div>