Messier 104 or M104, also known as the Sombrero Galaxy, is one of the largest mosaics ever assembled from Hubble observations.

The hallmark of the nearly edge-on galaxy is a brilliant, white, bulbous core encircled by thick dust lanes comprising the spiral structure of the galaxy. This dust lane is the site of star formation in the galaxy. The centre of M104 is thought to be home to a massive black hole.

Located 28 million light-years away from Earth in the constellation Virgo and, with a mass equal to 800 billion suns, it is one of the most massive objects in the Virgo galaxy cluster.

Location: Hubble Space Telescope
Data Source: Hubble Legacy Archive