Photo credit: science.nasa.gov
In celebration of ESA/Hubble’s 35th anniversary, the European Space Agency (ESA) is releasing a remarkable series of images that update some of Hubble’s most iconic observations with the latest data and advanced processing techniques.
The newest image to debut in this series is of NGC 346, showcasing enhanced clarity and expanded details, including additional stars and galaxies lurking in the background.
Among the celestial objects revisited is the iconic Sombrero Galaxy, a familiar target for Hubble over the past twenty years. The most notable of these images was captured in October 2003. Additionally, the upcoming November 2024 observations from the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope promise to deliver a different viewpoint on this striking galaxy.
Approximately 30 million light-years away, the Sombrero Galaxy is situated within the constellation Virgo and is easily identifiable due to its distinctive shape. When viewed edge-on, its softly glowing bulge and sharply defined disk resemble the traditional Mexican hat, which inspires its nickname.
The Hubble Space Telescope’s image of the Sombrero Galaxy, officially designated Messier 104, captures the stunning details of this celestial body.
Despite its dense star population, the Sombrero Galaxy is not considered a vigorous site for star formation. Each year, less than one solar mass of gas within its dusty, tangled disk is transformed into new stars. Interestingly, the supermassive black hole at its center, weighing in at nine billion solar masses, remains relatively quiescent compared to the black hole at the center of the Milky Way, which is more than 2,000 times less massive.
Though invisible to the naked eye, the Sombrero Galaxy is an accessible target for amateur astronomers using modest telescopes. When observed from our planet, it occupies an area in the sky roughly one-third the diameter of the full Moon. Due to its expansive size, Hubble requires a composite mosaic of multiple images to capture the entirety of the galaxy within a single frame.
A distinctive aspect of the Sombrero Galaxy is its angle of view, which is nearly parallel to its equator, inclined by just six degrees. This perspective accentuates intricate dust clumps and strands against the brilliant white of the galactic nucleus, reminiscent of Saturn’s rings, albeit on a cosmic scale.
This particular vantage point, however, complicates the determination of the galaxy’s classification; it is unclear if it should be labeled as a spiral, akin to the Milky Way, or as an elliptical galaxy. The structure of the Sombrero’s disk presents characteristics typical of spiral galaxies, while its spheroidal bulge and halo correspond with elliptical galaxy features, creating a unique hybrid appearance.
Hubble has been instrumental in studying the Sombrero Galaxy, focusing on the metallicity—elements heavier than helium—in the stars dispersed throughout the galaxy’s extensive halo. Insights garnered from such measurements can illuminate the galaxy’s past, including potential mergers with other galaxies. For the Sombrero Galaxy, the presence of metal-rich stars in its halo signifies a possible merger with a significant galaxy billions of years ago, suggesting that a historical collision may have contributed to its distinct morphology.
For over thirty years, the Hubble Space Telescope has been at the forefront of astronomical discoveries, enhancing our comprehension of the universe. It is a joint endeavor between NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA), managed through the Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland. Lockheed Martin Space, located in Denver, supports the mission’s operational aspects, while the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, run by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, oversees Hubble’s scientific operations for NASA.
Source
science.nasa.gov