Messier 104 (NGC 4594)

In 2015, I had the opportunity to image Messier 104, the famous Sombrero Galaxy, during a holiday stay at the Astrofarm Tivoli in Namibia, where I used one of the rented remote observatory systems on site. The exceptionally dark southern skies allowed me to capture deep exposures of this remarkable galaxy, and by applying an aggressive stretch during processing, the final image reveals not only the iconic dust lane of the Sombrero Galaxy but also the faint tidal stream that arcs around it.

This extended structure is extremely low in surface brightness and only becomes visible under pristine conditions and with long integration times. It represents the remnants of a disrupted dwarf galaxy that M104 accreted in the past—a clear signature of hierarchical galaxy evolution.

Scientifically, Messier 104 (NGC 4594) is one of the most striking lenticular galaxies in the local universe. Located about 29 million light-years away in Virgo, it is famous for its massive central bulge, razor-thin equatorial dust lane, and unusually large supermassive black hole, estimated at around 10⁹ solar masses, making it one of the most massive black holes known in a nearby galaxy. Its smooth halo extends far beyond the bright central region, containing a rich population of globular clusters, possibly numbering in the thousands. The detection of the tidal stream adds an extra scientific dimension, providing direct observational evidence of past minor mergers that likely played a significant role in shaping the Sombrero’s present-day structure.

Data calibration, image registration, integration, and advanced post-processing of the 2022 image were performed in PixInsight.