Spitzer Spies Spectacular Sombrero

Ssc2005-11a3_med
spitzer_ssc2005-11a3 May 4, 2005

Creator: Spitzer Space Telescope, Pasadena, CA, USA

Image Source: http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/images/1425-ssc2005-11a3-Spitzer-Spies-Spectacular-Sombrero

NASA's Spitzer Space Telescopes created this striking infrared image of one of the most popular sights in the universe. Messier 104 is commonly known as the Sombrero galaxy because in visible light, it resembles the broad-brimmed Mexican hat. However, in Spitzer's striking infrared view, the galaxy looks more like a "bull's eye."

In visible light images, only the near rim of dust can be clearly seen in silhouette. Recent observations using Spitzer's infrared array camera uncovered the bright, smooth ring of dust circling the galaxy, seen in red. Spitzer's infrared view of the starlight, piercing through the obscuring dust, is easily seen, along with the bulge of stars and an otherwise hidden disk of stars within the dust ring.

Spitzer's full view shows the disk is warped, which is often the result of a gravitational encounter with another galaxy, and clumpy areas spotted in the far edges of the ring indicate young star-forming regions.

The Sombrero galaxy is located some 28 million light-years away. Viewed from Earth, it is just six degrees south of its equatorial plane. Spitzer detected infrared emission not only from the ring, but from the center of the galaxy too, where there is a huge black hole, believed to be a billion times more massive than our Sun.

The Spitzer picture is composed of four images taken at 3.6 (blue), 4.5 (green), 5.8 (orange), and 8.0 (red) microns. The contribution from starlight (measured at 3.6 microns) has been subtracted from the 5.8 and 8-micron images to enhance the visibility of the dust features.

Image Use Policy: http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/info/18-Image-Use-Policy

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Image Details

Image Type
Observation
Object Name
Sombrero Galaxy Messier 104 M104 NGC 4594
Subject - Local Universe
Galaxy » Type » Elliptical
Galaxy » Type » Lenticular
Galaxy » Component » Ring
Galaxy » Type » Ring

Distance

Universescale2
28,000,000 light years

Position Details

Ssc2005-11a3_med
Position (ICRS)
RA = 12h 39m 45.9s
DEC = -11° 35’ 13.1”
Orientation
North is 5.1° CW
Field of View
9.6 x 5.4 arcminutes
Constellation
Virgo

Color Mapping

  Telescope Spectral Band Wavelength
Arrow_left_blue Spitzer (IRAC) Infrared (Near-IR) 3.6 µm
Arrow_left_green Spitzer (IRAC) Infrared (Near-IR) 4.5 µm
Arrow_left_red Spitzer (IRAC) Infrared (Mid-IR) 5.8 µm
Arrow_left_red Spitzer (IRAC) Infrared (Mid-IR) 8.0 µm
The contribution from starlight has been subtracted from the 5.8 and 8.0 micron channels to enhance the visibility of dust features.
Spectrum_base
Arrow_top_blue
Arrow_top_green
Arrow_top_red
Arrow_top_red