Messier 104

This image of the Sombrero Galaxy M104 was created by David Malin of the Australian Astronomical Observatory from photographic plates obtained with the 3.9-meter Anglo-Australian Telescope. It is a 3-color composite from three exposures: Red, 30 min (098-04 emulsion with filter RG 610), Green, 20 min (IIa-D/GG 495), and Blue, 20 min (IIa-O/GG 385), all taken by David Malin.

The Sombrero structure is obvious in this image. Dominating is a bright, vast bulge, consisting of billions of old faint stars, and elliptical structure around a nucleus hidden by this brightness. Also prominent is the spiral disk, which is seen almost edge-on, but still dust and suggestions of a spiral structure can be traced. The domination of the bulge causes the classification of M104 as a spiral galaxy of type "Sa."

The image is copyrighted and may be used for private purpose only. For any other kind of use, including internet mirroring and storing on CD-ROM, please contact the Photo Permissions Department (imagearchive at aao.gov.au) of the Australian Astronomical Observatory.

More images of David Malin

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Last Modification: July 3, 2003