M104 is a spiral galaxy in the constellation of Virgo that is seen nearly edge-on from our perspective on Earth. The dense dust lanes of its outer spiral arms seen against the backdrop of its extremely luminescent central bulge explains this galaxy's common name, the "Sombrero Galaxy". M104 is located about 50 million light years from Earth. Recent images from the Hubble Space Telescope of this galaxy have revealed its truly magnificent structure.

Image capture and processing information:

Date/Location: February 18, 2007 Lake Sonoma, Sonoma County, California
Instrument: SBIG ST-2000XCM through an Orion 6 inch Newtonian reflector
Focal Ratio: f5.0
Guiding: Self-Guiding camera
Conditions: Visually clear
Weather: 50 F, moderate breeze
Exposure: 20 minute single exposure
Processing: Focused and captured with CCDOPS. Image processed using CCDOPS and Adobe Photoshop CS2