Somro Galaxy Lab Report
22648860
OBSERVATIONS AND CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SOMBRERO GALAXY
(M104/NGC 4594)
DOMINIC J. TAN
ABSTRACT
The Sombrero Galaxy (M104/NGC 4594) is an unbarred spiral galaxy and a suspected member of the galaxy group within the southern regions of the Virgo cluster. It is a nearby galaxy with a very distinctive appearance making it easy to identify. Despite being easily recognisable, it is still not completely understood. The exact process involved in its formation is unclear and it is not known where all its emissions come from, particularly in the sub-millimetre range. Its peculiar shape and structure means that it is a prime candidate to help understand early spiral galaxies and their evolution and formation, while at the same …show more content…
It is a member of a complex cloud of galaxies, however, it is unknown as to whether it is a member of a proper galaxy group (Tully, 1988). The Sombrero galaxy is different to other galaxies as it has a bright nucleus, an unusually large central bulge and a prominent dust lane in its inclined disk. These significant features gives the galaxy the appearance of a sombrero and hence its name (English, 2007).
Lying 8,600kpc from Earth with coordinates RA 12h 39m 59.4s, DEC -11° 37’ 23’’, it is 50,000 light years across and with an apparent magnitude of 8.98 (NASA, 2003), the Sombrero Galaxy is just beyond the limit of the naked eye and is easily seen through small telescopes, making it an attractive object for amateur and professional astronomers alike. Located on the southern edge of the rich
Virgo cluster of galaxies, it is one of the most massive objects in that group – equivalent to 800 billion suns (NASA, 2003).
Originally classified as an unbarred spiral galaxy, new observations from NASA’s
OBSERVATIONS AND CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SOMBRERO GALAXY
(M104/NGC 4594)
DOMINIC J. TAN
ABSTRACT
The Sombrero Galaxy (M104/NGC 4594) is an unbarred spiral galaxy and a suspected member of the galaxy group within the southern regions of the Virgo cluster. It is a nearby galaxy with a very distinctive appearance making it easy to identify. Despite being easily recognisable, it is still not completely understood. The exact process involved in its formation is unclear and it is not known where all its emissions come from, particularly in the sub-millimetre range. Its peculiar shape and structure means that it is a prime candidate to help understand early spiral galaxies and their evolution and formation, while at the same …show more content…
It is a member of a complex cloud of galaxies, however, it is unknown as to whether it is a member of a proper galaxy group (Tully, 1988). The Sombrero galaxy is different to other galaxies as it has a bright nucleus, an unusually large central bulge and a prominent dust lane in its inclined disk. These significant features gives the galaxy the appearance of a sombrero and hence its name (English, 2007).
Lying 8,600kpc from Earth with coordinates RA 12h 39m 59.4s, DEC -11° 37’ 23’’, it is 50,000 light years across and with an apparent magnitude of 8.98 (NASA, 2003), the Sombrero Galaxy is just beyond the limit of the naked eye and is easily seen through small telescopes, making it an attractive object for amateur and professional astronomers alike. Located on the southern edge of the rich
Virgo cluster of galaxies, it is one of the most massive objects in that group – equivalent to 800 billion suns (NASA, 2003).
Originally classified as an unbarred spiral galaxy, new observations from NASA’s