Astronomy Picture of the Day

   [1]Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                                 2026 May 29
    [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest
                        resolution version available.

                                 Messier 104
         Image Credit: [3]CTIO, [4]NOIRLab, [5]DOE, [6]NSF, [7]AURA;
      Image Processing: [8]T. A. Rector ([9]U. Alaska Anchorage), D. de
       Martin ([10]NSF’s [11]NOIRLab) & [12]M. Zamani (NSF, NOIRLab)

   Explanation: A gorgeous spiral galaxy, [13]Messier 104 is famous for
   its nearly [14]edge-on profile featuring a broad ring of obscuring dust
   lanes. Seen in silhouette against an extensive central bulge of stars,
   the swath of [15]cosmic dust lends a broad brimmed hat-like appearance
   to the galaxy suggesting a more popular moniker, the Sombrero Galaxy.
   Also known as NGC 4594, the Sombrero galaxy can be seen [16]across the
   spectrum and [17]is host to a central supermassive black hole. About
   50,000 light-years across and 28 million light-years away, [18]M104 is
   one of the largest galaxies at the southern edge of the Virgo Galaxy
   Cluster. Still, the spiky foreground stars in this field of view lie
   well within our own Milky Way. [19]This broad view of the well-known
   galaxy was processed to reveal M104's extended halo, as well as a faint
   [20]tidal stellar stream. It was captured by the [21]Dark Energy Camera
   (DECam) on the Blanco 4-meter telescope at the [22]Cerro Tololo
   Inter-American Observatory.

                       Tomorrow's picture: moon sizes
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    Authors & editors: [34]Robert Nemiroff ([35]MTU) & [36]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([37]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Amber Straughn [38]Specific rights apply.
            [39]NASA Web Privacy, [40]Accessibility, [41]Notices;
                A service of: [42]ASD at [43]NASA / [44]GSFC,
                         [45]NASA Science Activation
                           & [46]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2605/M104noirlab2612a.jpg
   3. https://noirlab.edu/public/programs/ctio/
   4. https://noirlab.edu/
   5. https://www.energy.gov/
   6. https://www.nsf.gov/
   7. https://www.aura-astronomy.org/
   8. http://aftar.uaa.alaska.edu/
   9. https://www.uaa.alaska.edu/
  10. https://www.nsf.gov/
  11. https://noirlab.edu/
  12. https://mahdizamani.com/about
  13. https://science.nasa.gov/mission/hubble/science/explore-the-night-sky/hubble-messier-catalog/messier-104/
  14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap010510.html
  15. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap190101.html
  16. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap070505.html
  17. https://arxiv.org/abs/1107.1238
  18. https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/30855
  19. https://noirlab.edu/public/images/noirlab2612a/
  20. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240927.html
  21. https://noirlab.edu/public/programs/ctio/victor-blanco-4m-telescope/decam/
  22. https://noirlab.edu/public/programs/ctio/
  23. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260528.html
  24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  25. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  26. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  27. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  28. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  29. https://apod.com/feed.rss
  30. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  31. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  32. https://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=260529
  33. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260530.html
  34. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  35. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  36. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  37. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  38. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  39. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  40. https://www.nasa.gov/general/accessibility/
  41. https://www.nasa.gov/privacy/
  42. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  43. https://www.nasa.gov/
  44. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  45. https://science.nasa.gov/learners
  46. http://www.mtu.edu/