Object: The Sombrero Galaxy (also known as Messier Object 104, M104 or NGC 4594) is a lenticular galaxy in the constellation Virgo. It is 31.1 million light-years from Earth. The galaxy has a diameter of approximately 49,000 light-years, 30% the size of the Milky Way. It has a bright nucleus, an unusually large central bulge, and a prominent dust lane in its inclined disk. The dark dust lane and the bulge give this galaxy the appearance of a sombrero hat. Astronomers initially thought that the halo was small and light, indicative of a spiral galaxy, but the Spitzer Space Telescope found that the dust ring around the Sombrero Galaxy is larger and more massive than previously thought, indicative of a giant elliptical galaxy. The galaxy has an apparent magnitude of +8.0, making it easily visible with amateur telescopes. Its large bulge, its central supermassive black hole, and its dust lane all attract the attention of professional astronomers.
Taken: April 12, 2024
Telescope: Astro-Tech 14 inch RCwith Starizona Apex ED 0.65x reducer
Mount: Paramount ME II unguided
Camera: ZWO ASI2600MC-Pro (cooled to 0C; Gain: 100) Bin 1×1.
Focuser: Moonlite Nitecrawler
Rotator: Moonlite Nitecrawler
Filters used: Optolong L-Quad Enhance 2″ with a Starizona 2″ filter drawer
Exposures: 109×90 seconds, for a total exposure time of 2.73 hours; calibrated with 40 dark frames, 40 flat frames with 40 flat-darks
Seeing Conditions: Below Average. Bortle 5 region.
Image capture and telescope control: Nighttime Imaging ‘N’ Astronomy with (N.I.N.A.) / TheSkyX Pro with a SkyShed POD MAX observatory.
Processed with PixInsight and Photoshop CC 2024