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Sombrero Galaxy Fade (Spitzer, Webb, Hubble)

This video compares images of the Sombrero Galaxy, also known as Messier 104 (M104). The first image is in infrared light, and was captured by the Spitzer Space Telescope. The second image shows the Webb Space Telescope’s mid-infrared look at the galaxy using the MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument). The final image shows visible light observed by the Hubble Space Telescope’s Advanced Camera for Surveys.

  • Release Date
    November 25, 2024
  • Science Release
    Hats Off to NASA’s Webb: Sombrero Galaxy Dazzles in New Image
    Read the release
  • Credit
    Video: NASA, ESA, CSA, Caltech/IPAC, STScI

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Related Images & Videos

Image of a galaxy on the black background of space. The galaxy is a very oblong, blue disk that extends from left to right at an angle (from about 10 o’clock to 5 o’clock). The galaxy has a small bright core at the center. There is an inner disk that is clearer, with speckles of stars scattered throughout. The outer disk of the galaxy is whiteish-blue, and clumpy, like clouds in the sky. There are different colored dots, distant galaxies, speckled among the black background of space surrounding the galaxy.

Sombrero Galaxy (MIRI Image)

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope recently imaged the Sombrero Galaxy with its MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument), resolving the clumpy nature of the dust along the galaxy’s outer ring. The mid-infrared light highlights the gas and dust that are part of star formation taking place...

A two panel image. The top image is Webb’s view of the Sombrero galaxy, the bottom image is Hubble’s view. In the Webb view, the galaxy is a very oblong, blue disk that extends from left to right at an angle (from about 10 o’clock to 5 o’clock). The galaxy has a small bright core at the center. There is clear inner disk that has speckles of stars scattered throughout. The outer disk of the galaxy is whiteish-blue, and clumpy, like clouds in the sky. In the Hubble view, the galaxy is an oblong, pale white disk with a glowing core over the inner disk. The outer disk is darker and clumpy.

Sombrero Galaxy (Hubble and Webb Image)

This image compares the view of the famous Sombrero Galaxy in mid-infrared light (top) and visible light (bottom). The James Webb Space Telescope’s MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument) reveals the smooth inner disk of the galaxy, while the Hubble Space Telescope’s visible-light image...

The Sombrero galaxy as seen by Webb. The galaxy is a very oblong, blue disk that extends from left to right at an angle (from about 10 o’clock to 5 o’clock). The galaxy has a small bright core at the center. There is an inner disk that is clearer, with speckles of stars scattered throughout. The outer disk of the galaxy is whiteish-blue, and clumpy, like clouds in the sky. At the top right corner is a scale bar labeled 8,500 light-years. The length of the scale bar is about one eighth the total width of the image. At the bottom left are compass arrows that indicate the orientation of the image on the sky. The north arrow points in the 1 o'clock direction. The east arrow points toward 8 o'clock. Below the image is a color key showing which MIRI filters were used to create the image and which visible-light color is assigned to each filter: F770W is blue, F1130W is green, F1280W is red.

Sombrero Galaxy (MIRI Compass Image)

This image of the Sombrero Galaxy, captured by the James Webb Space Telescope’s MIRI (Mid-Infrared Camera) instrument, is presented with compass arrows, a scale bar, and a color key for reference. This image shows mid-infrared wavelengths of light that have been translated into...

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Last Updated
Aug 28, 2025
Contact
Media

Laura Betz
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
laura.e.betz@nasa.gov

Video Credit

NASA, ESA, CSA, Caltech/IPAC, STScI

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