Horsehead M104
The Sombrero Galaxy		 Horsehead

(Mouse Over the image for my very first CCD picture taken on 05/07/2000)


Date: April 27, 2001
Exposure: 8 x 600s L
Processing: MaxIm DDP, Stretch
Conditions: Average
Scope: C14 @ f/11
Camera: SBIG ST-9E, -30°
Comments: At a relatively bright magnitude of +8, M104 is just beyond the limit of naked-eye visibility and is easily seen through small telescopes. The Sombrero lies at the southern edge of the rich Virgo cluster of galaxies and is one of the most massive objects in that group, equivalent to 800 billion suns. The galaxy is 50,000 light-years across and is located 28 million light-years from Earth. I tried to image this one again, but this time at f/11 to increase my image size. I still want to get a better one and color, so I will keep trying.