M104

The designation M 104 comes from the so-called Messier catalog, which goes back to Charles Messier. He was a French astronomer of the 17th century who created a catalog to avoid “supposed” rediscoveries of previously observed celestial objects, which is still valid and enduring today.

Also known as the Sombrero Galaxy, M 104 gets its name from the fact that in a small telescope it only shows visually the part above the broad dust band and looks like a Mexican sun hat: a sombrero.

M 104 is a fairly “quiet” galaxy, which has probably largely left the excitement of star formation and planetary development behind it.

It is a very old galaxy that shows a huge dust band in its equator, which is excellently suited for radio astronomy and precise measurements.

Namely, measurements that reveal that everything in space is in motion and that even galaxies do not stand still. This is remarkable because – unfortunately – the term “fixed star” still appears in textbooks; but this should be deleted, because: Nothing in the universe is fixed or firmly anchored, except the laws of nature, which can be observed everywhere.

Coordinates:
RA: 12h 39m 59.4s
DC: -11° 37′ 23″

Exposure time:
60 hours