A newly released image from the Hubble Space Telescope shows the charming Sombrero Galaxy, named for its resemblance to the iconic Mexican hat.
The galaxy might look familiar to you, as it is a well-known one and has previously been imaged by the James Webb Space Telescope. As Webb looks in the infrared wavelength while Hubble looks primarily in the visible light portion of the spectrum, the two telescopes get different views of the same object. In this case, Webb’s image of the Sombrero shows more of the interior structure of the galaxy, while Hubble’s image shows the glowing cloud of dust that comprises the disk.
Hubble has also imaged this galaxy before, way back in 2003, but the new image uses the latest image processing techniques to pick out more details in the galaxy’s disk, as well as more stars and galaxies in the background. Hubble scientists chose to revisit this galaxy as part of Hubble’s 35th birthday celebrations because it is such a popular target for amateur astronomers. Even beginner astronomers with entry level telescopes are able to view this galaxy, and its distinctive shape has been delighting skywatchers for decades.
“The galaxy is too faint to be spotted with unaided vision, but it is readily viewable with a modest amateur telescope,” Hubble scientists explain. “Seen from Earth, the galaxy spans a distance equivalent to roughly one third of the diameter of the full Moon. The galaxy’s size on the sky is too large to fit within Hubble’s narrow field of view, so this image is actually a mosaic of several images stitched together.”
The galaxy gets it distinctive look due to the angle we see it from. When you think of a spiral galaxy, it is usually seen face-on, as if it were circular and so you can see the arms reaching out from the center. This galaxy, however, appears at an angle of just 6 degrees off the central equator, which gives it a broad and flat appearance. As well as being a cool visual effect, this angle also allows scientists to observe the galactic bulge in the center and the ring of dust which sits further out at the galaxy’s edge.
However, the angle of observation means that the galaxy is somewhat mysterious as well. No one knows whether the Sombrero has spiral arms like our Milky Way, or whether it is a more fuzzy and less defined type of galaxy called an elliptical galaxy. Either way, as seen from Earth it remains a striking and rather lovely object, and one which is well worth looking for if you’re ever using a telescope at home.