Wider field image of M104, created from the same photographic plates.

The two images above are copyrighted by the Australian Astronomical Observatory; see their usage policy.

The well-known "Sombrero" galaxy M104 (NGC 4594) in Virgo. This is an excellent example of the early-type Sa spirals, with tightly-wound spiral arms (in fact, they can be difficult to trace when seen this close to edge-on) and a large-luminous bulge. The dense dust lane in this disk gives the galaxy its common name. M104 has a mildly active nucleus, seen in emission lines and radio emission, and has been discussed as a cnadidate for hosting a supermassive black hole, based on stellar dynamics in its core. This image is from a blue-light exposure with the 0.9-meter telescope of Kitt Peak National Observatory, with the data provided courtesy of T. Boroson.

From Bill Keel's Messier Picture Gallery at the University of Alabama.

This image was obtained by Sven Kohle and Till Credner of Bonn, Germany on January 6, 1996 with the 0.9-meter Dutch telescope of the ESO La Silla observatory, with a 512x512 CCD camera. It was composed from 3 exposured taken in different color bands (through dufferent filters): V:5 min, R:2 min, I:5 min. The image is copyrighted by the observers.

Last Modification: February 22, 1998