Sombrero galaxy

This superb galaxy owes its name to its characteristic Mexican hat shape. A dark band of dust on its equatorial plane appears to cut the galaxy into two.

The Sombrero galaxy is a typical spiral galaxy (like our own) with a central nucleus and arms that wrap around it.

M104 loses some of its superb aspect from European latitudes because it is quite low on the horizon; observed from Africa it is an extraordinary cosmic object.