To mark its 35th anniversary, the European Space Agency (ESA) is revisiting iconic Hubble images with updated data and improved processing. The first release features NGC 346, followed by a refreshed image of the Sombrero Galaxy, which highlights finer details in its disk and showcases additional stars and galaxies in the background.
Located 30 million light-years away in the constellation Virgo, the Sombrero Galaxy is easily identified by its striking appearance. Viewed nearly edge-on, its glowing core and sharply defined disk resemble a Mexican hat, giving the galaxy its name.
Although packed with stars, it forms fewer than one solar mass of new stars each year. Its supermassive black hole, 2,000 times heavier than the Milky Way’s, remains unexpectedly quiet.
Although too faint for the naked eye, the Sombrero Galaxy can be spotted with a small amateur telescope. Its apparent size, about one-third of the Moon’s diameter, required a mosaic of Hubble images to capture its full extent.
Hubble glimpse a dazzling view of ‘Little Sombrero’
Its nearly edge-on viewing angle reveals striking dust clumps contrasting with a bright core, resembling Saturn’s rings on a galactic scale. This angle, however, complicates classification, as the galaxy combines features of both spirals and ellipticals without fitting neatly into either category.
Hubble’s study of metal-rich stars in its halo suggests a past merger with a massive galaxy billions of years ago, shedding light on its unique structure and appearance.
