Messier 104 - NGC 4594 - "The Sombrero Galaxy"
65-million light years away in the
direction of the constellation Virgo is this fantastic looking galaxy with a
very prominent dark lane tracing the circumference of the galaxy. Appropriately
nicknamed the "Sombrero" galaxy due to it's Mexican hat like appearance this 8th
Magnitude spiral galaxy is easily found in amateur telescopes. According to
NASA/Hubble, the centre of this galaxy harbours a compact core emitting strong
X-rays indicating the presence of a black hole with a mass of 1-billion Suns.
Image Details
| Field Of View | approx. 50' x 33' arc-minutes wide. |
| Telescope | 12-inch f/5 GSO Newtonian on Samson GEM. |
| Camera |
Canon EOS 300D Digital Rebel (not modified). |
| Exposures | 5 x 6 minutes @ ISO-200. |
| Total Exposure time | 30 minutes. |
| Filter/equipment. | Used Baader Coma Corrector (MPCC). |
| Sky Conditions |
hazy, patchy high cloud, Seeing: 6/10 Wind: 2/10 Moisture: 1/10. |
| Ambient Temperature | 20°C. |
| Date Taken | 2006-02-25 |
| Processing | Photoshop CS, one of the exposures was used to mask the core. |
(C) Copyright 2005 Paul Mayo.
paulm@skylab.com.au