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| The Sombrero, named after the broad-brimmed Mexican hat it superficially resembles, is probably the most famous galaxy in the sky. The light from this remarkable spiral system is dominated by the billions of old, faint stars that form the vast 'bulge' around its tiny hidden nucleus. Most spirals, including the Milky Way, have clouds of old, faint stars around their nuclei, but in M104 the galaxy's light is dominated by them. This effect is enhanced because disk of the galaxy is seen nearly edge-on and dust in its outer parts is in silhouette as it crosses the picture. Within the dusty disk are low contrast structures that show this galaxy to be a genuine spiral, immersed in an unusually large central bulge. |