Sombrero Galaxy
NASA / ESA / Hubble Heritage, 2003
A galaxy on edge, wearing a brim of dust thick enough to hide the stars behind it. Something enormous, seen from the side, keeping a secret in the dark of its own hat.
About this work
The Hubble Heritage Team assembled this image of the Sombrero Galaxy, Messier 104, from Hubble Space Telescope observations made in May and June 2003. The galaxy lies about 31 million light-years away on the border of the constellations Virgo and Corvus, and it is slightly larger than the Milky Way. We see it almost edge-on: a bright nucleus and an unusually large central bulge, crossed by a dark lane of dust in its outer disk. Together they give it the look of a broad-brimmed hat. The galaxy is surrounded by a halo of stars and globular clusters. Its centre gives off strong X-rays, and stars there move so fast that astronomers concluded a black hole of about a billion solar masses must lie at its core, one of the most massive measured in any nearby galaxy. Pierre Méchain discovered the Sombrero on May 11, 1781, and Charles Messier added it by hand to his own list, which is why it became M104. The image is credited to NASA/ESA and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA).
Sources: ESA/Hubble opo0328a · Wikipedia: Sombrero Galaxy
Print facts
- Native resolution
- 11,472 × 6,429 px
- Sharp at 150 ppi up to
- 76 × 42 in
- Sizes
- Small (20 × 11 in) · $100 · 574 ppi
Medium (24 × 13 in) · $150 · 478 ppi
Large (36 × 20 in) · $300 · 319 ppi - Price includes
- Frame and US shipping · 14–21 days · 30-day returns
FAQ
Where can I buy a framed print of Sombrero Galaxy?
Here. Sombrero Galaxy is available as a framed print in three sizes: Small (20 × 11 in) for $100, Medium (24 × 13 in) for $150 and Large (36 × 20 in) for $300. Prices include the frame and US shipping; delivery takes 14–21 days, with 30-day returns.
What size works best for Sombrero Galaxy?
The file is 11,472 × 6,429 px, so every size is sharp: even Large (36 × 20 in) prints at 319 ppi. Choose Large (36 × 20 in) for a large wall; Small (20 × 11 in) suits a narrower space.
Is it legal to print Sombrero Galaxy?
Yes. The image was released by NASA, ESA and the Space Telescope Science Institute. NASA and STScI material is not protected by copyright in the United States unless noted, and ESA publishes its copy under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence, so it can be printed with credit to NASA/ESA and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA). A print does not imply endorsement by NASA or ESA.
