Galaxies · Spiral galaxy, seen almost edge-on
Sombrero Galaxy
31 million light-years · Light crosses it in 49,000 years
- Across
- 49,000 light-years
- Vs Earth
- 0.49× Milky Way
- Mass
- 800.0 billion Suns
Open Sombrero Galaxy in Cosmic Scale
In the app, Sombrero Galaxy is part of the Beyond pack.
About
The Sombrero Galaxy is a spiral seen almost edge-on, with a huge glowing bulge crossed by a dark lane of dust — like a wide-brimmed hat. At its centre is a black hole of about a billion Suns.
A bright bulge crossed by a dark lane of dust — it looks like a hat.
At a glance
| Distance | 31 million light-years |
|---|---|
| Size | About 49,000 light-years |
| Also known as | M104 |
| Central black hole | About 1 billion Suns |
Did you know
- It has around 2,000 globular star clusters, ten times as many as the Milky Way.
- Webb's infrared view shows the dust ring clumpy and the bulge nearly invisible.
- It is bright enough to see in a small telescope in Virgo.