Sombrero Galaxy M104

The hallmark of the Sombrero Galaxy, Messier 104 (M104), is a brilliant white, bulbous core encircled by thick dust lanes comprising the spiral structure of the galaxy. As seen from Earth, the galaxy is tilted nearly edge-on. This brilliant galaxy was named the Sombrero because of its resemblance to the broad-rimmed and high-topped Mexican hat. Hubble easily resolves M104's rich system of globular clusters, which appear as tiny specks in the galaxy’s halo above and below the galactic plane. They are estimated to be nearly 2,000 in number — 10 times as many as those that orbit our Milky Way Galaxy. The ages of the clusters are similar to the clusters in the Milky Way, ranging from 10-13 billion years old. Embedded in the bright core of M104 is a smaller disk, which is tilted relative to the large disk. X-ray emission suggests that there is material falling into the compact core, where a 1-billion-solar-mass black hole resides. For more information, visit: hubblesite.org/image/1415/news_release/2003-28 The Sombrero Galaxy looks significantly different when viewed with infrared-detecting instruments that pierce obscuring dust. See the Spitzer Space Telescope's infrared view of this object here: hubblesite.org/image/1417/news_release/2003-28