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Messier 104 also known as the Sombrero Galaxy, is a majestic unbarred spiral galaxy located in the constellation Virgo.
The Sombrero Galaxy has an apparent magnitude of 8.98 and lies at a distance of 29.3 million light years from Earth.The galaxy has a diameter of approximately 50,000 light-years 30% the size of of our own galaxy.

Messier 104 has an incredibly bright nucleus, an unusually large central bulge, and a conspicuous dark dust lane in its disk. The appearance of the galactic bulge and the dust lane that crosses in front of it have earned M 104 the name Sombrero. The dust lane has the shape of a symmetrical ring around the bulge.

The Sombrero Galaxy’s large bulge and supermassive black hole at its core make the galaxy a popular target for study.
Messier 104 has a large population of globular clusters. Observations have yielded estimates in the range from 1,200 to 2,000 globulars.

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