Alternate Names

NGC 4594, Sombrero Galaxy

Type

Supermassive

Location

In the constellation Virgo

Distance

32 million light-years (9.8 megaparsecs)

Mass

660 million times the mass of the Sun

Size

Diameter larger than the orbit of Saturn

Discovery Methods

• Measuring the motions of stars

M104

A ground-based view shows why the Sombrero Galaxy got its nickname.

Hubble Space Telescope view of the Sombrero galaxy.

False-color infrared image of the galaxy from Spitzer Space Telescope. The red ring is thick clouds of dust in the outer edges of the spiral galaxy.

This document was last modified: April 30, 2012.