The wide-brimmed Sombrero galaxy has been unveiled in all its splendor by a telescope in Chile, showcasing a glowing halo of stars like never before. The U.S. National Science Foundation's NOIRLab released the latest photograph of the iconic hat-shaped galaxy on Friday. Although a telescope in Chile observed it four years ago, the color imaging was only completed this week.
Galactic Details
Located approximately 30 million light-years away, this spiral galaxy—formally known as Messier 104—is one of the largest in the constellation Virgo cluster. It spans an estimated 50,000 light-years across, with a light-year equivalent to about 6 trillion miles.
Unprecedented Features
Captured in incredible detail, the galaxy's stellar halo appears to be triple the size of the sombrero itself. A dark energy camera on the telescope also detected a stream of stars pouring out of the galaxy's southern edge. Scientists believe the stars in this stream, along with those in the halo, were torn from other galaxies during a long-ago collision.
Astronomers first discovered the galaxy back in the 1700s.
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