|
|
A More Spectacular Sombrero
…
| Title |
A More Spectacular Sombrero (Widescreen Version) |
| Description |
This movie shifts from the well-known visible-light picture of Messier 104 taken by the Hubble Space Telescope to infrared views from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. 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." Viewed from Earth, the spiral galaxy is seen nearly edge-on, just six degrees away from its equatorial plane. 50,000 light-years across, the Sombrero galaxy is considered one of the most massive objects at the southern edge of the Virgo cluster of galaxies. It is located 28 million light-years away, hosts a rich system of nearly 2,000 globular clusters and may harbor a super-massive black hole. In Hubble's visible light image, 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, pierced 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. The Hubble Heritage Team took these observations in May-June 2003 with the space telescope's Advanced Camera for Surveys. Images were taken in three filters (red, green, and blue) to yield a natural-color image. The team took six pictures of the galaxy and then stitched them together to create the final composite image. This magnificent galaxy has a diameter that is nearly one-fifth the diameter of the full Moon. |
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Spitzer Spies Spectacular So
…
| Title |
Spitzer Spies Spectacular Sombrero |
| Description |
NASA's Spitzer and Hubble Space Telescopes joined forces to create this striking composite 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 Hubble's visible light image (lower left panel), only the near rim of dust can be clearly seen in silhouette. Recent observations using Spitzer's infrared array camera (lower right panel) 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. The Hubble Heritage Team took these observations in May-June 2003 with the space telescope's Advanced Camera for Surveys. Images were taken in three filters (red, green, and blue) to yield a natural-color image. The team took six pictures of the galaxy and then stitched them together to create the final composite image. This magnificent galaxy has a diameter that is nearly one-fifth the diameter of the full Moon. |
|
Spitzer Spies Spectacular So
…
| Title |
Spitzer Spies Spectacular Sombrero |
| Description |
NASA's Spitzer and Hubble Space Telescopes joined forces to create this striking composite 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 Hubble's visible light image (lower left panel), only the near rim of dust can be clearly seen in silhouette. Recent observations using Spitzer's infrared array camera (lower right panel) 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. The Hubble Heritage Team took these observations in May-June 2003 with the space telescope's Advanced Camera for Surveys. Images were taken in three filters (red, green, and blue) to yield a natural-color image. The team took six pictures of the galaxy and then stitched them together to create the final composite image. This magnificent galaxy has a diameter that is nearly one-fifth the diameter of the full Moon. |
|
Spitzer Spies Spectacular So
…
| Title |
Spitzer Spies Spectacular Sombrero |
| Description |
NASA's Spitzer and Hubble Space Telescopes joined forces to create this striking composite 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 Hubble's visible light image (lower left panel), only the near rim of dust can be clearly seen in silhouette. Recent observations using Spitzer's infrared array camera (lower right panel) 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. The Hubble Heritage Team took these observations in May-June 2003 with the space telescope's Advanced Camera for Surveys. Images were taken in three filters (red, green, and blue) to yield a natural-color image. The team took six pictures of the galaxy and then stitched them together to create the final composite image. This magnificent galaxy has a diameter that is nearly one-fifth the diameter of the full Moon. |
|
Spitzer Spies Spectacular So
…
| Title |
Spitzer Spies Spectacular Sombrero |
| Description |
NASA's Spitzer and Hubble Space Telescopes joined forces to create this striking composite 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 Hubble's visible light image (lower left panel), only the near rim of dust can be clearly seen in silhouette. Recent observations using Spitzer's infrared array camera (lower right panel) 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. The Hubble Heritage Team took these observations in May-June 2003 with the space telescope's Advanced Camera for Surveys. Images were taken in three filters (red, green, and blue) to yield a natural-color image. The team took six pictures of the galaxy and then stitched them together to create the final composite image. This magnificent galaxy has a diameter that is nearly one-fifth the diameter of the full Moon. |
|
A More Spectacular Sombrero
| Title |
A More Spectacular Sombrero |
| Description |
This movie shifts from the well-known visible-light picture of Messier 104 taken by the Hubble Space Telescope to infrared views from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. 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." Viewed from Earth, the spiral galaxy is seen nearly edge-on, just six degrees away from its equatorial plane. 50,000 light-years across, the Sombrero galaxy is considered one of the most massive objects at the southern edge of the Virgo cluster of galaxies. It is located 28 million light-years away, hosts a rich system of nearly 2,000 globular clusters and may harbor a super-massive black hole. In Hubble's visible light image, 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, pierced 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. The Hubble Heritage Team took these observations in May-June 2003 with the space telescope's Advanced Camera for Surveys. Images were taken in three filters (red, green, and blue) to yield a natural-color image. The team took six pictures of the galaxy and then stitched them together to create the final composite image. This magnificent galaxy has a diameter that is nearly one-fifth the diameter of the full Moon. |
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Sombrero Galaxy: A Great Obs
…
| Name |
Sombrero Galaxy: A Great Observatories View |
| Category |
Normal Galaxies & Starburst Galaxies |
| Release Date |
April 30, 2007 |
|
Heritage Project Celebrates
…
| Title |
Heritage Project Celebrates Five Years of Harvesting the Best Images from Hubble Space Telescope |
| General Information |
What is Hubble Heritage? A monthly showcase of new and archival Hubble images. Go to the Heritage site. Back to top [ #top ] |
|
Heritage Project Celebrates
…
| Title |
Heritage Project Celebrates Five Years of Harvesting the Best Images from Hubble Space Telescope |
| General Information |
What is Hubble Heritage? A monthly showcase of new and archival Hubble images. Go to the Heritage site. Back to top [ #top ] |
|
Hubble Reveals Sombrero Gala
…
| Name of Image |
Hubble Reveals Sombrero Galaxy (M104) |
| Date of Image |
2006-06-09 |
| Full Description |
In the 19th century, astronomer V. M. Slipher first discovered a hat-like object that appeared to be rushing away from us at 700 miles per second. This enormous velocity offered some of the earliest clues that it was really another galaxy, and that the universe was expanding in all directions. The trained razor sharp eye of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) easily resolves this Sombrero galaxy, Messier 104 (M104). The galaxy is 50,000 light-years across and is located 28 million light-years from Earth at the southern edge of the rich Virgo cluster of galaxies. Equivalent to 800 billion suns, Sombrero is one of the most massive objects in that group. The hallmark of Sombrero is a brilliant white, bulbous core encircled by the thick dust lanes comprising the spiral structure of the galaxy. As seen from Earth, the galaxy is tilted nearly edge-on. We view it from just six degrees north of its equatorial plane. At a relatively bright magnitude of +8, M104 is just beyond the limit of naked-eye visibility and is easily seen through small telescopes. This rich system of globular clusters are estimated to be nearly 2,000 in number which is 10 times as many as in our Milky Way galaxy. The ages of the clusters are similar to the clusters in the Milky Way, ranging from 10-13 billion years old. Embedded in the bright core of M104 is a smaller disk, which is tilted relative to the large disk. X-ray emission suggests that there is material falling into the compact core, where a 1-billion-solar-mass black hole resides. The Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) had responsibility for design, development, and construction of the HST. |
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Sombrero Galaxy (M104) in In
…
| Name of Image |
Sombrero Galaxy (M104) in Infrared Light |
| Date of Image |
2003-06-09 |
| Full Description |
The razor sharp eye of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) easily resolves the Sombrero galaxy, Messier 104 (M104). 50,000 light-years across, the galaxy is located 28 million light-years from Earth at the southern edge of the rich Virgo cluster of galaxies. Equivalent to 800 billion suns, Sombrero is one of the most massive objects in that group. The hallmark of Sombrero is a brilliant white, bulbous core encircled by the thick dust lanes comprising the spiral structure of the galaxy. As seen from Earth, the galaxy is tilted nearly edge-on. We view it from just six degrees north of its equatorial plane. This rich system of globular clusters is estimated to be nearly 2,000 in number which is 10 times as many as in our Milky Way galaxy. Similar to the clusters in the Milky Way, the ages range from 10-13 billion years old. Embedded in the bright core of M104 is a smaller disk, which is tilted relative to the large disk. The HST paired with the Spitzer infrared telescope, offers this striking composite capturing the magnificence of the Sombrero galaxy. In the Hubble view, the galaxy resembles a broad-rimmed Mexican hat, whereas in the Spitzer striking infrared view, the galaxy looks more like a bulls eye. The full view provided by Spitzer 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. Spitzer detected infrared emission not only from the ring, but from the center of the galaxy as well, where there is a huge black hole believed to be a billion times more massive than our Sun. The Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) had responsibility for design, development, and construction of the HST. |
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NGC 5905 and 5908
| Title |
NGC 5905 and 5908 |
| Explanation |
These two [ http://www.photomeeting.de/astromeeting/galaxies/ 060702ngc5908a_d.htm ] beautiful galaxies, NGC 5905 (left) and NGC 5908 lie about 140 million light-years distant in the northern constellation Draco [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Draco_(constellation) ]. Separated by about 500,000 light-years, the pair are actually both spiral galaxies [ http://cassfos02.ucsd.edu/public/tutorial/Galaxies.html ] and nicely illustrate the striking contrasts in appearance possible when viewing spirals [ http://www.noao.edu/image_gallery/ spiral_galaxies.html ] from different perspectives. Seen face-on [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap040410.html ], NGC 5905 is clearly a spiral galaxy with bright star clusters tracing arms that wind outward from a prominent central bar [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap050825.html ]. Oriented edge-on [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010510.html ] to our view, the spiral nature of NGC 5908 is revealed by a bright nucleus and dark band of obscuring dust characteristic of a spiral galaxy's disk. In fact, NGC 5908 is similar in appearance to the well studied edge-on spiral galaxy M104 - The Sombrero Galaxy [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap060115.html ]. |
|
The Sombrero Galaxy in Infra
…
| Title |
The Sombrero Galaxy in Infrared |
| Explanation |
This floating ring is the size of a galaxy. In fact, it is part of the photogenic Sombrero Galaxy [ http://www.seds.org/messier/m/m104.html ], one of the largest galaxies in the nearby Virgo Cluster of Galaxies [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap050213.html ]. The dark band of dust [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap030706.html ] that obscures the mid-section of the Sombrero Galaxy [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sombrero_galaxy ] in optical light actually glows brightly in infrared light. The above image [ http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2005-11/release.shtml ] shows the infrared [ http://imagers.gsfc.nasa.gov/ems/infrared.html ] glow, recently recorded by the orbiting Spitzer Space Telescope [ http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/about/index.shtml ], superposed in false-color on an existing [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap031008.html ] image taken by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap021124.html ] in optical light. The Sombrero [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sombrero ] Galaxy, also known as M104, spans about 50,000 light years [ http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/questions/question19.html ] across and lies 28 million light years away. M104 can be seen with a small telescope in the direction of the constellation Virgo [ http://www.seds.org/Maps/Stars_en/Fig/ virgo.html ]. |
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Sombrero Galaxy Across the S
…
| Title |
Sombrero Galaxy Across the Spectrum |
| Explanation |
Appropriately [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinco_de_Mayo ] famous for its broad ring of obscuring dust and hat-like appearance, the Sombrero Galaxy (aka spiral galaxy M104 [ http://www.seds.org/messier/m/m104.html ]) is featured in this unique composite view [ http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2007/sombrero/ ] that spans the electromagnetic spectrum [ http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/ ems1.html ], from three major space-based observatories. Exploring the Sombrero's high-energy x-ray emission (blue), the Chandra contribution [ http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2007/sombrero/ more.html#sombrero_xray_fov ] highlights the pervasive, tenuous, hot gas that extends some 60,000 light-years from the galaxy's center. Hubble's optical [ http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/2003/ 28/image/a ] view (green) shows the more familiar emission from the Sombrero's population of stars, seen from a nearly edge-on [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010510.html ] perspective and noticeably bulging at the galaxy's bright core. The broad ring of dust that blocks light in other bands, glows in the infrared contribution (red) from the Spitzer Space Telescope [ http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2005-11/ release.shtml ]. The Sombrero Galaxy is about 28 million light-years away, near the southern edge of the extensive Virgo cluster [ http://www.atlasoftheuniverse.com/galgrps/virii.html ] of galaxies. |
|
Spirals On Edge
| Title |
Spirals On Edge |
| Explanation |
Spiral galaxies viewed [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010427.html ] face-on display a grand design [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010203.html ], with graceful spiral arms traced by bright star clusters and glowing stellar nurseries. When seen edge-on, their appearance is very different but no less striking as their central regions bulge and dark cosmic dust lanes appear silhouetted against starlight from flattened galactic disks. This masterful mosaic of digital images [ http://robgendler.astrodigitals.com/ ] shows nine prominent edge-on spirals arranged as follows: top, NGC2683 [ http://robgendler.astrodigitals.com/2683.html ], M104 [ http://robgendler.astrodigitals.com/M104.html ], NGC4565 [ http://robgendler.astrodigitals.com/4565.html ], middle, NGC891 [ http://robgendler.astrodigitals.com/891.html ], NGC4631 [ http://robgendler.astrodigitals.com/4631.html ], NGC3628 [ http://robgendler.astrodigitals.com/3628.html ], and bottom, NGC5746 [ http://robgendler.astrodigitals.com/5746.html ], NGC5907 [ http://robgendler.astrodigitals.com/5907LRGB.html ], and NGC4217 [ http://robgendler.astrodigitals.com/4217.html ]. Perhaps the best known of these is M104 [ http://www.seds.org/messier/m/m104.html ] (NGC4594) whose [ http://www.seds.org/messier/more/m104_deep.html ] more descriptive moniker is the Sombrero Galaxy [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000228.html ]. Notably, the edge-on perspective of these galaxies allows a measurement [ http://www.astr.ua.edu/keel/galaxies/diskdyn.html ] of their galactic rotation [ http://astrosun.tn.cornell.edu/courses/astro201/ rotcurve.htm ] speed using the Doppler effect [ http://www.ncsa.uiuc.edu/Cyberia/Bima/doppler.html ]. Plotting rotation speed versus distance [ http://www.astro.queensu.ca/~dursi/dm-tutorial/ rot-vel.html ] from the center determines a galaxy's gravitational mass and historically [ http://nedwww.ipac.caltech.edu/level5/Faber/ Faber3.html ] led to premier evidence for mysterious Dark Matter [ http://www.sciam.com/specialissues/ 0398cosmos/0398rubin.html ]. |
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The Sombrero Galaxy from VLT
| Title |
The Sombrero Galaxy from VLT |
| Explanation |
Why does the Sombrero Galaxy look like a hat? Reasons include the Sombrero [ http://www.seds.org/messier/m/m104.html ]'s unusually large and extended central bulge of stars, and dark prominent dust [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990509.html ] lanes that appear in a disk that we see nearly edge-on [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap981220.html ]. Billions of old stars [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap991103.html ] cause the diffuse glow of the extended central bulge. Close inspection of the bulge in the above photograph [ http://www.eso.org/outreach/press-rel/pr-2000/phot-07-00.html ] shows many points of light that are actually globular clusters [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/globular_clusters.html ]. M104's spectacular dust rings harbor many younger and brighter stars, and show intricate details astronomers don't yet fully understand [ http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?bibcode=1995A%26A...303..673E ]. The very center of the Sombrero [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap951109.html ] glows across the electromagnetic spectrum [ http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/science/know_l1/emspectrum.html ], and is thought to house a large black hole [ http://image.gsfc.nasa.gov/poetry/ask/abholes.html ]. Fifty million-year-old light from the Sombrero Galaxy [ http://www.hawastsoc.org/messier/fslide121.html ] can be seen with a small telescope [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap011014.html ] towards the constellation [ http://www.astro.wisc.edu/~dolan/constellations/extra/constellations.html ] of Virgo [ http://www.astro.wisc.edu/~dolan/constellations/constellations/Virgo.html ]. |
|
M104: The Sombrero Galaxy
| Title |
M104: The Sombrero Galaxy |
| Explanation |
The famous Sombrero galaxy (M104) is a bright nearby spiral galaxy [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap950912.html ]. The prominent dust [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/lib/glossary.html#dust ] lane and halo of stars and globular clusters [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap951019.html ] give this galaxy [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/lib/glossary.html#galaxy ] its name. Something very energetic is going on in the Sombrero's center, as much X-ray [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/lib/glossary.html#X-ray ] light has been detected from it. This X-ray emission coupled with unusually high central stellar velocities cause many astronomers to speculate that a black hole [ http://cossc.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/rjn_bht.html ] lies at the Sombrero's center - a black hole [ http://cossc.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/gifcity/bh_pub_faq.html ] a billion times the mass of our Sun [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap950813.html ]. This image was taken in blue light by the 0.9 meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory. |
|
The Sombrero Galaxy from HST
| Title |
The Sombrero Galaxy from HST |
| Explanation |
Why does the Sombrero Galaxy look like a hat? Reasons include the Sombrero [ http://www.seds.org/messier/m/m104.html ]'s unusually large and extended central bulge of stars, and dark prominent dust [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap030706.html ] lanes that appear in a disk that we see nearly edge-on [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020703.html ]. Billions of old stars [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap991103.html ] cause the diffuse glow of the extended central bulge. Close inspection of the bulge in the above photograph [ http://heritage.stsci.edu/2003/28/caption.html ] shows many points of light that are actually globular clusters [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/globular_clusters.html ]. M104 [ http://www.eso.org/outreach/eduoff/catchastar/CAS2002/cas-projects/uk_m104_1/ ]'s spectacular dust rings harbor many younger and brighter stars, and show intricate details astronomers don't yet fully understand [ http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?bibcode=1995A%26A...303..673E ]. The very center of the Sombrero [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap011021.html ] glows across the electromagnetic spectrum [ http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/science/know_l1/emspectrum.html ], and is thought to house a large black hole [ http://image.gsfc.nasa.gov/poetry/ask/abholes.html ]. Fifty million-year-old light from the Sombrero Galaxy [ http://www.hawastsoc.org/messier/fslide121.html ] can be seen with a small telescope [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap011014.html ] towards the constellation [ http://www.astro.wisc.edu/~dolan/constellations/extra/constellations.html ] of Virgo [ http://www.astro.wisc.edu/~dolan/constellations/constellations/Virgo.html ]. |
|
The Sombrero Galaxy in Infra
…
| Title |
The Sombrero Galaxy in Infrared |
| Explanation |
This floating ring is the size of a galaxy. In fact, it is part of the photogenic Sombrero Galaxy [ http://www.seds.org/messier/m/m104.html ], one of the largest galaxies in the nearby Virgo Cluster of Galaxies [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap050213.html ]. The dark band of dust [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap030706.html ] that obscures the mid-section of the Sombrero Galaxy [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sombrero_galaxy ] in optical light actually glows brightly in infrared light. The above image [ http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media/releases/ssc2005-11/release.shtml ] shows the infrared [ http://imagers.gsfc.nasa.gov/ems/infrared.html ] glow, recently recorded by the orbiting Spitzer Space Telescope [ http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/about/index.shtml ], superposed in false-color on an existing [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap031008.html ] image taken by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap021124.html ] in optical light. The Sombrero [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sombrero ] Galaxy, also known as M104, spans about 50,000 light years [ http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/questions/question19.html ] across and lies 28 million light years away. M104 can be seen with a small telescope in the direction of the constellation [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constellations ] of Virgo [ http://www.astro.wisc.edu/~dolan/constellations/constellations/Virgo.html ]. |
|
M104: The Sombrero Galaxy
| Title |
M104: The Sombrero Galaxy |
| Explanation |
What's going on in the center of this spiral galaxy [ http://www.astronomy.ohio-state.edu/~depoy/courses/lecture.notes/spirals.html ]? Named the Sombrero Galaxy [ http://www.seds.org/messier/m/m104.html ] for its hat-like resemblance, M104 [ http://www.astr.ua.edu/gifimages/m104b.html ] features a prominent dust [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990509.html ] lane and a bright halo of stars and globular clusters [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970919.html ]. Something truly energetic is going on in the Sombrero's center, as it not only appears bright in visible light, but glows prodigiously in X-ray [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/lib/glossary.html#x-ray ] light as well. This X-ray emission [ http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?bibcode=1997ApJ...476..666F ] coupled with unusually high central stellar speeds cause many astronomers to speculate that a black hole [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970516.html ] lies at the Sombrero's center [ http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?bibcode=1996ApJ...473L..91K ] - a black hole possibly a billion times the mass of our Sun. |
|
The Sombrero Galaxy from HST
| Title |
The Sombrero Galaxy from HST |
| Explanation |
Why does the Sombrero Galaxy look like a hat? Reasons include the Sombrero [ http://www.seds.org/messier/m/m104.html ]'s unusually large and extended central bulge of stars, and dark prominent dust [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap030706.html ] lanes that appear in a disk that we see nearly edge-on [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020703.html ]. Billions of old stars [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap991103.html ] cause the diffuse glow of the extended central bulge. Close inspection of the bulge in the above [ http://heritage.stsci.edu/2003/28/caption.html ] photograph [ http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/newsdesk/archive/releases/2003/28/image/a ] shows many points of light that are actually globular clusters [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/globular_clusters.html ]. M104 [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M104 ]'s spectacular dust ring [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap050511.html ]s harbor many younger and brighter stars, and show intricate details astronomers don't yet fully understand [ http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?bibcode=1995A%26A...303..673E ]. The very center of the Sombrero [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sombrero ] glows across the electromagnetic spectrum [ http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/science/know_l1/emspectrum.html ], and is thought to house a large black hole [ http://www.astronomycafe.net/qadir/abholes.html ]. Fifty million-year-old light from the Sombrero Galaxy [ http://www.hawastsoc.org/messier/fslide121.html ] can be seen with a small telescope [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap011014.html ] towards the constellation [ http://www.astro.wisc.edu/~dolan/constellations/extra/constellations.html ] of Virgo [ http://www.astro.wisc.edu/~dolan/constellations/constellations/Virgo.html ]. |
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A Collage of Nearby Galaxies
nasa, wisemultimediagallery
To celebrate the one-year an
…
506350main_pia13450
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2010-12-16 |
| creator |
NASA |
| identifier |
506350main_pia13450 |
|
Spitzer Spies Spectacular So
…
PIA07899
Infrared Array Camera (IRAC)
…
| Title |
Spitzer Spies Spectacular Sombrero |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Figure 1 NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope set its infrared eyes on one of the most famous objects in the sky, Messier 104, also called the Sombrero galaxy. In this striking infrared picture, Spitzer sees an exciting new view of a galaxy that in visible light has been likened to a "sombrero," but here looks more like a "bulls-eye." Recent observations using Spitzer's infrared array camera uncovered the bright, smooth ring of dust circling the galaxy, seen in red. In visible light, because this galaxy is seen nearly edge-on, only the near rim of dust can be clearly seen in silhouette. 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. Spitzer's infrared view of the starlight from this galaxy, seen in blue, can pierce through obscuring murky dust that dominates in visible light. As a result, the full extent of the bulge of stars and an otherwise hidden disk of stars within the dust ring are easily seen. 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. This 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. In figure 1, the new picture of Messier 104 combines a recent infrared observation from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope with a well-known visible light image from the Hubble Space Telescope. In the Hubble Space Telescope's visible light image (lower left panel), only the near rim of dust can be clearly seen in silhouette. Recent observations using Spitzer's infrared array camera (lower right panel) uncovered the bright, smooth ring of dust circling the galaxy, seen in red. Spitzer's infrared view of the starlight, pierced 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. In figure 2, the infrared space telescope adds new detail to the galaxy's hallmark characteristics, such as the bright, bulbous core encircled by its thick dust lanes. Since infrared light can trace the dust, the dark, murky ring glows brilliantly in infrared. The clumpy dust ring also becomes transparent to starlight in infrared, allowing a clear view of the inner disk of stars within the dust ring. Viewed from Earth, the, Sombrero galaxy is seen nearly edge-on, just six degrees away from its equatorial plane. This spiral galaxy is located 28 million light years away and is 50,000 light-years across. The Sombrero is one of the most massive objects at the southern edge of the Virgo cluster of galaxies, and is equal in size to 800 billion Suns. It hosts a rich system of nearly 2,000 globular clusters, 10 times as many as orbit our Milky Way galaxy. It is also interesting that the Sombrero galaxy may harbor a super-massive black hole, accounting for the electromagnetic glow emitted from its center. The Hubble images were taken by the Hubble Heritage Team in May-June 2003 with the space telescope's advanced camera for surveys. Spitzer's images were taken in June 2004 and January 2005 as part of the Spitzer Infrared Nearby Galaxies Survey, using the telescope's infrared array camera. The survey is one of the six Spitzer Legacy Science projects, designed to reveal how stars are formed in different types of galaxies, and to provide an atlas of galaxy images and spectra for future archival investigations. The Sombrero is one of 75 galaxies being observed by the survey team. In this image, blue-cyan corresponds to the Hubble visible-light view, while the Spitzer 3.6-4.5 micron light is green and 8.0 micron light is red. Starlight in this Spitzer image (measured at 3.6 microns) has been subtracted from the 8-micron image to enhance the visibility of the dust features. In figure 3, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has trained its sharp eye on one of the universe's most stately and photogenic galaxies, Messier 104. The galaxy's hallmark is a brilliant white, bulbous core encircled by the thick dust lanes comprising the spiral structure of the galaxy. As seen from Earth, the galaxy is tilted nearly edge-on. We view it from just six degrees north of its equatorial plane. This brilliant galaxy was named the Sombrero because in visible light it resembles a broad rimmed and high-topped Mexican hat. M104 is just beyond the limit of the naked eye, but is easily seen through small telescopes. It lies at the southern edge of the rich Virgo cluster of galaxies. It is one of the most massive objects in that group, equivalent to 800 billion suns. The galaxy is 50,000 light-years across and is located 28 million light-years from Earth. Hubble easily resolves M104's rich system of 2,000 globular clusters-believed to be 10 times as many as orbit our Milky Way galaxy. The ages of the clusters are similar to those of the clusters in the Milky Way, ranging from 10-13 billion years. A smaller disk is embedded in the bright core of M104, and is tilted relative to the large disk. X-ray emission hints that there is material falling into the compact core, where a black hole as massive as 1 billion suns resides. The Hubble Heritage Team took these observations in May-June 2003 with the space telescope's advanced camera for surveys. Images were taken in three filters (red, green, and blue), to yield a natural-color image. The team took six pictures of the galaxy and then stitched them together to create the final composite image. This magnificent galaxy has a diameter that is nearly one-fifth the diameter of the full Moon. The movie shifts from the well-known visible-light picture of Messier 104 taken by the Hubble Space Telescope to infrared views from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. Messier (click on the browse image above for download option). |
|
Spitzer Spies Spectacular So
…
PIA07899
Infrared Array Camera (IRAC)
…
| Title |
Spitzer Spies Spectacular Sombrero |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Figure 1 NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope set its infrared eyes on one of the most famous objects in the sky, Messier 104, also called the Sombrero galaxy. In this striking infrared picture, Spitzer sees an exciting new view of a galaxy that in visible light has been likened to a "sombrero," but here looks more like a "bulls-eye." Recent observations using Spitzer's infrared array camera uncovered the bright, smooth ring of dust circling the galaxy, seen in red. In visible light, because this galaxy is seen nearly edge-on, only the near rim of dust can be clearly seen in silhouette. 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. Spitzer's infrared view of the starlight from this galaxy, seen in blue, can pierce through obscuring murky dust that dominates in visible light. As a result, the full extent of the bulge of stars and an otherwise hidden disk of stars within the dust ring are easily seen. 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. This 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. In figure 1, the new picture of Messier 104 combines a recent infrared observation from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope with a well-known visible light image from the Hubble Space Telescope. In the Hubble Space Telescope's visible light image (lower left panel), only the near rim of dust can be clearly seen in silhouette. Recent observations using Spitzer's infrared array camera (lower right panel) uncovered the bright, smooth ring of dust circling the galaxy, seen in red. Spitzer's infrared view of the starlight, pierced 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. In figure 2, the infrared space telescope adds new detail to the galaxy's hallmark characteristics, such as the bright, bulbous core encircled by its thick dust lanes. Since infrared light can trace the dust, the dark, murky ring glows brilliantly in infrared. The clumpy dust ring also becomes transparent to starlight in infrared, allowing a clear view of the inner disk of stars within the dust ring. Viewed from Earth, the, Sombrero galaxy is seen nearly edge-on, just six degrees away from its equatorial plane. This spiral galaxy is located 28 million light years away and is 50,000 light-years across. The Sombrero is one of the most massive objects at the southern edge of the Virgo cluster of galaxies, and is equal in size to 800 billion Suns. It hosts a rich system of nearly 2,000 globular clusters, 10 times as many as orbit our Milky Way galaxy. It is also interesting that the Sombrero galaxy may harbor a super-massive black hole, accounting for the electromagnetic glow emitted from its center. The Hubble images were taken by the Hubble Heritage Team in May-June 2003 with the space telescope's advanced camera for surveys. Spitzer's images were taken in June 2004 and January 2005 as part of the Spitzer Infrared Nearby Galaxies Survey, using the telescope's infrared array camera. The survey is one of the six Spitzer Legacy Science projects, designed to reveal how stars are formed in different types of galaxies, and to provide an atlas of galaxy images and spectra for future archival investigations. The Sombrero is one of 75 galaxies being observed by the survey team. In this image, blue-cyan corresponds to the Hubble visible-light view, while the Spitzer 3.6-4.5 micron light is green and 8.0 micron light is red. Starlight in this Spitzer image (measured at 3.6 microns) has been subtracted from the 8-micron image to enhance the visibility of the dust features. In figure 3, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has trained its sharp eye on one of the universe's most stately and photogenic galaxies, Messier 104. The galaxy's hallmark is a brilliant white, bulbous core encircled by the thick dust lanes comprising the spiral structure of the galaxy. As seen from Earth, the galaxy is tilted nearly edge-on. We view it from just six degrees north of its equatorial plane. This brilliant galaxy was named the Sombrero because in visible light it resembles a broad rimmed and high-topped Mexican hat. M104 is just beyond the limit of the naked eye, but is easily seen through small telescopes. It lies at the southern edge of the rich Virgo cluster of galaxies. It is one of the most massive objects in that group, equivalent to 800 billion suns. The galaxy is 50,000 light-years across and is located 28 million light-years from Earth. Hubble easily resolves M104's rich system of 2,000 globular clusters-believed to be 10 times as many as orbit our Milky Way galaxy. The ages of the clusters are similar to those of the clusters in the Milky Way, ranging from 10-13 billion years. A smaller disk is embedded in the bright core of M104, and is tilted relative to the large disk. X-ray emission hints that there is material falling into the compact core, where a black hole as massive as 1 billion suns resides. The Hubble Heritage Team took these observations in May-June 2003 with the space telescope's advanced camera for surveys. Images were taken in three filters (red, green, and blue), to yield a natural-color image. The team took six pictures of the galaxy and then stitched them together to create the final composite image. This magnificent galaxy has a diameter that is nearly one-fifth the diameter of the full Moon. The movie shifts from the well-known visible-light picture of Messier 104 taken by the Hubble Space Telescope to infrared views from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. Messier (click on the browse image above for download option). |
|
Spitzer Spies Spectacular So
…
PIA07899
Infrared Array Camera (IRAC)
…
| Title |
Spitzer Spies Spectacular Sombrero |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Figure 1 NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope set its infrared eyes on one of the most famous objects in the sky, Messier 104, also called the Sombrero galaxy. In this striking infrared picture, Spitzer sees an exciting new view of a galaxy that in visible light has been likened to a "sombrero," but here looks more like a "bulls-eye." Recent observations using Spitzer's infrared array camera uncovered the bright, smooth ring of dust circling the galaxy, seen in red. In visible light, because this galaxy is seen nearly edge-on, only the near rim of dust can be clearly seen in silhouette. 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. Spitzer's infrared view of the starlight from this galaxy, seen in blue, can pierce through obscuring murky dust that dominates in visible light. As a result, the full extent of the bulge of stars and an otherwise hidden disk of stars within the dust ring are easily seen. 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. This 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. In figure 1, the new picture of Messier 104 combines a recent infrared observation from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope with a well-known visible light image from the Hubble Space Telescope. In the Hubble Space Telescope's visible light image (lower left panel), only the near rim of dust can be clearly seen in silhouette. Recent observations using Spitzer's infrared array camera (lower right panel) uncovered the bright, smooth ring of dust circling the galaxy, seen in red. Spitzer's infrared view of the starlight, pierced 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. In figure 2, the infrared space telescope adds new detail to the galaxy's hallmark characteristics, such as the bright, bulbous core encircled by its thick dust lanes. Since infrared light can trace the dust, the dark, murky ring glows brilliantly in infrared. The clumpy dust ring also becomes transparent to starlight in infrared, allowing a clear view of the inner disk of stars within the dust ring. Viewed from Earth, the, Sombrero galaxy is seen nearly edge-on, just six degrees away from its equatorial plane. This spiral galaxy is located 28 million light years away and is 50,000 light-years across. The Sombrero is one of the most massive objects at the southern edge of the Virgo cluster of galaxies, and is equal in size to 800 billion Suns. It hosts a rich system of nearly 2,000 globular clusters, 10 times as many as orbit our Milky Way galaxy. It is also interesting that the Sombrero galaxy may harbor a super-massive black hole, accounting for the electromagnetic glow emitted from its center. The Hubble images were taken by the Hubble Heritage Team in May-June 2003 with the space telescope's advanced camera for surveys. Spitzer's images were taken in June 2004 and January 2005 as part of the Spitzer Infrared Nearby Galaxies Survey, using the telescope's infrared array camera. The survey is one of the six Spitzer Legacy Science projects, designed to reveal how stars are formed in different types of galaxies, and to provide an atlas of galaxy images and spectra for future archival investigations. The Sombrero is one of 75 galaxies being observed by the survey team. In this image, blue-cyan corresponds to the Hubble visible-light view, while the Spitzer 3.6-4.5 micron light is green and 8.0 micron light is red. Starlight in this Spitzer image (measured at 3.6 microns) has been subtracted from the 8-micron image to enhance the visibility of the dust features. In figure 3, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has trained its sharp eye on one of the universe's most stately and photogenic galaxies, Messier 104. The galaxy's hallmark is a brilliant white, bulbous core encircled by the thick dust lanes comprising the spiral structure of the galaxy. As seen from Earth, the galaxy is tilted nearly edge-on. We view it from just six degrees north of its equatorial plane. This brilliant galaxy was named the Sombrero because in visible light it resembles a broad rimmed and high-topped Mexican hat. M104 is just beyond the limit of the naked eye, but is easily seen through small telescopes. It lies at the southern edge of the rich Virgo cluster of galaxies. It is one of the most massive objects in that group, equivalent to 800 billion suns. The galaxy is 50,000 light-years across and is located 28 million light-years from Earth. Hubble easily resolves M104's rich system of 2,000 globular clusters-believed to be 10 times as many as orbit our Milky Way galaxy. The ages of the clusters are similar to those of the clusters in the Milky Way, ranging from 10-13 billion years. A smaller disk is embedded in the bright core of M104, and is tilted relative to the large disk. X-ray emission hints that there is material falling into the compact core, where a black hole as massive as 1 billion suns resides. The Hubble Heritage Team took these observations in May-June 2003 with the space telescope's advanced camera for surveys. Images were taken in three filters (red, green, and blue), to yield a natural-color image. The team took six pictures of the galaxy and then stitched them together to create the final composite image. This magnificent galaxy has a diameter that is nearly one-fifth the diameter of the full Moon. The movie shifts from the well-known visible-light picture of Messier 104 taken by the Hubble Space Telescope to infrared views from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. Messier (click on the browse image above for download option). |
|
Spitzer Spies Spectacular So
…
PIA07899
Infrared Array Camera (IRAC)
…
| Title |
Spitzer Spies Spectacular Sombrero |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Figure 1 NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope set its infrared eyes on one of the most famous objects in the sky, Messier 104, also called the Sombrero galaxy. In this striking infrared picture, Spitzer sees an exciting new view of a galaxy that in visible light has been likened to a "sombrero," but here looks more like a "bulls-eye." Recent observations using Spitzer's infrared array camera uncovered the bright, smooth ring of dust circling the galaxy, seen in red. In visible light, because this galaxy is seen nearly edge-on, only the near rim of dust can be clearly seen in silhouette. 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. Spitzer's infrared view of the starlight from this galaxy, seen in blue, can pierce through obscuring murky dust that dominates in visible light. As a result, the full extent of the bulge of stars and an otherwise hidden disk of stars within the dust ring are easily seen. 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. This 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. In figure 1, the new picture of Messier 104 combines a recent infrared observation from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope with a well-known visible light image from the Hubble Space Telescope. In the Hubble Space Telescope's visible light image (lower left panel), only the near rim of dust can be clearly seen in silhouette. Recent observations using Spitzer's infrared array camera (lower right panel) uncovered the bright, smooth ring of dust circling the galaxy, seen in red. Spitzer's infrared view of the starlight, pierced 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. In figure 2, the infrared space telescope adds new detail to the galaxy's hallmark characteristics, such as the bright, bulbous core encircled by its thick dust lanes. Since infrared light can trace the dust, the dark, murky ring glows brilliantly in infrared. The clumpy dust ring also becomes transparent to starlight in infrared, allowing a clear view of the inner disk of stars within the dust ring. Viewed from Earth, the, Sombrero galaxy is seen nearly edge-on, just six degrees away from its equatorial plane. This spiral galaxy is located 28 million light years away and is 50,000 light-years across. The Sombrero is one of the most massive objects at the southern edge of the Virgo cluster of galaxies, and is equal in size to 800 billion Suns. It hosts a rich system of nearly 2,000 globular clusters, 10 times as many as orbit our Milky Way galaxy. It is also interesting that the Sombrero galaxy may harbor a super-massive black hole, accounting for the electromagnetic glow emitted from its center. The Hubble images were taken by the Hubble Heritage Team in May-June 2003 with the space telescope's advanced camera for surveys. Spitzer's images were taken in June 2004 and January 2005 as part of the Spitzer Infrared Nearby Galaxies Survey, using the telescope's infrared array camera. The survey is one of the six Spitzer Legacy Science projects, designed to reveal how stars are formed in different types of galaxies, and to provide an atlas of galaxy images and spectra for future archival investigations. The Sombrero is one of 75 galaxies being observed by the survey team. In this image, blue-cyan corresponds to the Hubble visible-light view, while the Spitzer 3.6-4.5 micron light is green and 8.0 micron light is red. Starlight in this Spitzer image (measured at 3.6 microns) has been subtracted from the 8-micron image to enhance the visibility of the dust features. In figure 3, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has trained its sharp eye on one of the universe's most stately and photogenic galaxies, Messier 104. The galaxy's hallmark is a brilliant white, bulbous core encircled by the thick dust lanes comprising the spiral structure of the galaxy. As seen from Earth, the galaxy is tilted nearly edge-on. We view it from just six degrees north of its equatorial plane. This brilliant galaxy was named the Sombrero because in visible light it resembles a broad rimmed and high-topped Mexican hat. M104 is just beyond the limit of the naked eye, but is easily seen through small telescopes. It lies at the southern edge of the rich Virgo cluster of galaxies. It is one of the most massive objects in that group, equivalent to 800 billion suns. The galaxy is 50,000 light-years across and is located 28 million light-years from Earth. Hubble easily resolves M104's rich system of 2,000 globular clusters-believed to be 10 times as many as orbit our Milky Way galaxy. The ages of the clusters are similar to those of the clusters in the Milky Way, ranging from 10-13 billion years. A smaller disk is embedded in the bright core of M104, and is tilted relative to the large disk. X-ray emission hints that there is material falling into the compact core, where a black hole as massive as 1 billion suns resides. The Hubble Heritage Team took these observations in May-June 2003 with the space telescope's advanced camera for surveys. Images were taken in three filters (red, green, and blue), to yield a natural-color image. The team took six pictures of the galaxy and then stitched them together to create the final composite image. This magnificent galaxy has a diameter that is nearly one-fifth the diameter of the full Moon. The movie shifts from the well-known visible-light picture of Messier 104 taken by the Hubble Space Telescope to infrared views from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. Messier (click on the browse image above for download option). |
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