Astronomy
M104: The Sombrero Galaxy's Hidden Tidal Streams
A new deep image reveals evidence of a violent merger past in the Sombrero galaxy.
A deep image of the Sombrero galaxy reveals surprises.
NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day feature for Oct. 5, 2026, shows M104 — the Sombrero galaxy — in a light that reveals a turbulent history. On shorter exposures, the galaxy looks like a hat, with a dark brim of dust circling its center. But a much longer exposure, taken over seven days in mid-2026 from Namibia, brings out a bright, hazy halo that extends well past the central disk and contains many unresolved stars.
Surprisingly, within that stellar haze, structures are visible — including a diagonal ring. These structures and tidal streams provide fresh evidence that M104 had a violent past and is surely the result of collisions and mergers of smaller galaxies.
Light from the Sombrero galaxy takes about 30 million years to reach us. The galaxy spans about 150 thousand light-years across.
The image was released as part of NASA's APOD series, which features a different astronomical picture each day.
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