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,
one of the largest galaxies in the nearby
Virgo Cluster of Galaxies.
The dark band of
dust that obscures the mid-section of the
Sombrero Galaxy in optical light actually
glows brightly in infrared light.
The above image, digitally sharpened, shows the
infrared
glow, recently recorded by the orbiting
Spitzer Space Telescope, superposed in false-color on an
existing image taken by
NASA's
Hubble Space Telescope
in optical light.
The
Sombrero
Galaxy, also known as
M104, spans about 50,000
light years across and lies 28 million light years away.
M104
can be seen with a small telescope in the direction of the
constellation
Virgo.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
