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Sombrero Galaxy (MIRI Image)

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.

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 within the Sombrero Galaxy’s outer disk. The rings of the Sombrero Galaxy produce less than one solar mass of stars per year, in comparison to the Milky Way’s roughly two solar masses a year. It’s not a particular hotbed of star formation. 

The Sombrero Galaxy is around 30 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Virgo.

About the Object

  • R.A. Position
    R.A. PositionRight ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.
    12:39:59.42
  • Dec. Position
    Dec. PositionDeclination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.
    -11:37:23.0
  • Constellation
    ConstellationOne of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears.
    Virgo
  • Distance
    DistanceThe physical distance from Earth to the astronomical object. Distances within our solar system are usually measured in Astronomical Units (AU). Distances between stars are usually measured in light-years. Interstellar distances can also be measured in parsecs.
    About 29 million light-years away
  • Dimensions
    DimensionsThe physical size of the object or the apparent angle it subtends on the sky.
    Image is about 7.2 arcminutes across (60,000 light-years)

About the Data

  • Data Description
    Data DescriptionProposal: A description of the observations, their scientific justification, and the links to the data available in the science archive.
    Science Team: The astronomers who planned the observations and analyzed the data. "PI" refers to the Principal Investigator.

    This image was created with Webb data from proposal: 6565 (M. Garcia Marin). Image processing: Alyssa Pagan (STScI).

  • Instrument
    InstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.
    MIRI
  • Exposure Dates
    Exposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.
    7 June 2024
  • Filters
    FiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.
    F770W, F1130W, F1280W
  • Object Name
    Object NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.
    Sombrero Galaxy, M104
  • Object Description
    Object DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.
    Edge-on lenticular galaxy
  • Release Date
    November 25, 2024
  • Science Release
    Hats Off to NASA’s Webb: Sombrero Galaxy Dazzles in New Image
    Read the release
  • Credit
    Image: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI

Downloads

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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.
Color Info
Color InfoA brief description of the methods used to convert telescope data into the color image being presented.

These images are a composite of separate exposures acquired by the James Webb Space Telescope using the MIRI instrument. Several filters were used to sample wide wavelength ranges. The color results from assigning different hues (colors) to each monochromatic (grayscale) image associated with an individual filter. In this case, the assigned colors are:   Blue: F770W, Green: F1130W, Red: F1280W

Compass and Scale
Compass and ScaleAn astronomical image with a scale that shows how large an object is on the sky, a compass that shows how the object is oriented on the sky, and the filters with which the image was made.

Related Images & Videos

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...

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 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...

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Details

Last Updated
Aug 28, 2025
Contact
Media

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

Image Credit

NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI

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