Sombrero Galaxy reveals a colossal halo and faint stellar stream in a new deep-sky image

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Source: Live Science
Sombrero Galaxy reveals a colossal halo and faint stellar stream in a new deep-sky image
Photo: Live Science
TL;DR

A new 570-megapixel image from the Dark Energy Camera at Cerro Tololo reveals an enormous, diffuse halo around the Sombrero Galaxy (M104) that extends beyond the bright disk by more than three times, plus a faint stellar stream suggesting past interactions with a smaller satellite. The image also sharpens the central bulge and dust lanes, highlighting star formation regions and the galaxy’s distinctive hat-like shape, thanks to NOIRLab’s deep-sky imaging capabilities, building on recent JWST mid-infrared observations.

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