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NASA's Webb Rounds Out Picture of Sombrero Galaxy's Disk

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June 03, 2025 10:00AM (EDT)Release ID: 2025-127
Image of a galaxy on the black background of space. The galaxy is a very oblong, brownish yellowish disk that extends from left to right at an angle (from about 10 o’clock to 5 o’clock). Mottled dark brown patches rim the edge of the disk and are particularly prominent where they cross directly in front of the galaxy. The galaxy’s center glows white and extends above and below the disk. There are different colored dots, distant galaxies, speckled among the black background of space surrounding the galaxy.

Summary

Stellar light shines from iconic target in near-infrared

The Sombrero galaxy has long had a place in astronomical history as an intriguing object. The first written record of this galaxy was noted in 1781, almost 250 years ago, by Pierre Méchain, a French astronomer and surveyor. Méchain was a longtime collaborator of Charles Messier, of the Messier catalog fame.

While the Sombrero galaxy didn’t earn an official place in the Messier catalog until 1921 (as Messier 104), since it’s easily visible from the Northern Hemisphere with a backyard telescope or even binoculars, it remained top of mind for observers over the years.

Now, new observations from the world’s premiere space observatory have added to the history of this storied galaxy.

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Full Article

After capturing an image of the iconic Sombrero galaxy at mid-infrared wavelengths in late 2024, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has now followed up with an observation in the near-infrared. In the newest image, the Sombrero galaxy’s huge bulge, the tightly packed group of stars at the galaxy’s center, is illuminated, while the dust in the outer edges of the disk blocks some stellar light. Studying galaxies like the Sombrero at different wavelengths, including the near-infrared and mid-infrared with Webb, as well as the visible with NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, helps ...

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News releases highlighting the discoveries of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope are produced for NASA by the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore, Maryland, under NASA Contract NAS5-03127. News release content is developed by the News Team in STScI’s Office of Public Outreach.

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