Astronomy Picture of the Day - M104: The Sombrero Galaxy in Infrared

NASA ^ | 11 Jan. 2025 | Image Credit: NASA, JPL, Caltech, SSC, R. Kennicutt (Steward Obs.) et al.,

[MtnClimber]

Explanation: This floating ring is the size of a galaxy. In fact, it is a galaxy -- or at least part of one: the photogenic Sombrero Galaxy, one of the largest galaxies in the nearby Virgo Cluster of Galaxies. The dark band of dust that obscures the mid-section of the Sombrero Galaxy in visible light actually glows brightly in infrared light. The featured image, digitally sharpened, shows the infrared glow, recently recorded by the orbiting Spitzer Space Telescope, superposed in false-color on an existing image taken by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope in visible light. The Sombrero Galaxy, also known as M104, spans about 50,000 light years and lies 28 million light years away. M104 can be seen with a small telescope in the direction of the constellation Virgo.

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TOPICS: Astronomy; Astronomy Picture of the Day; Science
KEYWORDS: apod; nasa

[MtnClimber]

To be added or removed from the Astronomy Picture of the Day ping list please send me a request via "Private Reply" (Mail).

For more detail go to the link and click on the image for a high definition image. You can then move the magnifying glass cursor then click to zoom in and click again to zoom out. When zoomed in you can scan by moving the side bars on the bottom and right side of the image.

[MtnClimber]

[MtnClimber]

Pinging the APOD list

🪐 🌟 🌌 🍔

[Telepathic Intruder]

I kinda like that one.

[Steely Tom]

Beautiful image.

Unfortunately the write-up doesn't give the IR-band wavelength range used to make the image, which was made by the Spitzer Space Telescope.

When it's IR sensors were fully cooled, Spitzer could form images out to 180 microns, which is in the very far infrared, even farther into the infrared than the JWST can go.

Unfortunately, Spitzer lost its cooling ability in 2009; images made after that year only go to 4.5 microns.

[Diogenesis]

[Doctor Congo]

I know its real but it sure looks fake.
Just beautiful.

[NavyShoe]

It would look good on Hakeem.

[dragnet2]

M104 at about 31 million light years from earth. Atmospheric conditions were not good that night but I decided to go for it and see what the data produced. 60x90sec

[MtnClimber]

It would look good on Hakeem.

A tire necklace?

[MtnClimber]

Pretty good.

[dragnet2]

[Larry Lucido]

[telescope115]

Nice!