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The
Sombrero galaxy, Messier 104, shows a brilliant white, bulbous
core encircled by the thick dust lanes comprising the spiral
structure of the galaxy. It was so named because of its resemblance
to the broad rim and high-topped Mexican hat. As seen from
Earth, the galaxy is tilted nearly edge-on. The Sombrero lies
at the southern edge of the rich Virgo cluster of galaxies
and is one of the most massive objects in that group, equivalent
to 800 billion suns. The galaxy is 50,000 light-years across
and is located 28 million light-years from Earth.
Photo
credit: NASA/the Hubble Heritage Team
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