Free Astronomy Magazine July-August 2026

9 JULY-AUGUST 2026 ASTRO PUBLISHING The fascinating story of its discovery, involving three esteemed astron- omers, has earned it a spot on one of the most important lists of deep sky objects. Today, it stands as one of the most iconic galaxies in the night sky. Messier 104 resides approxi- mately 30 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Virgo. It spans an impressive 50,000 light- years across, and is among the T he Sombrero galaxy (Messier 104) is a galactic masterpiece that captivates scientists and astronomy enthusiasts alike. Its intri- cate system of globular star clusters lends insight into stellar populations, and astronomers are intrigued by the supermassive black hole at its center. Its distinctive visual features and relative brightness make it a fa- vorite among amateur astronomers. M essier 104, nicknamed the Sombrero galaxy, is a popular target for amateur observing and astronomical research. Its recogniz- able extended halo and dust-filled disk are captured in this image from the Department of Energy-fabri- cated Dark Energy Camera (DECam) mounted on the U.S. National Sci- ence Foundation Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO) in Chile, a Program of NSF NOIRLab. [CTIO/NOIRLab/DOE/NSF/AURA. Image Processing: T.A. Rector (Uni- versity of Alaska Anchorage/NSF NOIRLab), D. de Martin & M. Zamani (NSF NOIRLab)] brightest galaxies in the Virgo con- stellation. Despite its grandeur, it appears relatively dim in the night sky — just below the threshold of naked-eye visibility, though it can be observed with a small telescope or binoculars. This image was captured with the 570-megapixel Department of En- ergy-fabricated Dark Energy Camera (DECam) mounted on the U.S. Na- tional Science Foundation Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO) in Chile, a Program of NSF NOIRLab. The incredible resolution of DECam reveals the Sombrero Galaxy’s strik- ing features. At its core is an in- tensely bright nucleus, which is surrounded by a swarm of around 2000 globular star clusters. A thin, dark band of cold dust and hydro- gen gas traces the perimeter of the disk, where most of the galaxy’s star formation takes place. The moniker “Sombrero Galaxy” comes from its striking resemblance to a sombrero, with its pronounced central bulge and dark dust trail that resemble the lofty crown and expansive brim of the traditional Mexican hat. Also visible in this image is the galaxy’s enormous glowing halo,