A new mid-infrared image from the James Webb Space Telescope shows the Sombrero Galaxy, also known as Messier 104 (M104). The characteristic luminous core, which is visible in the images in visible light, does not shine, but instead shows a smooth inner disk.
The nature of star-forming dust
The Webb Telescope’s high resolution MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument) also brings attention to the details of the galaxy’s outer ring, providing insight into how dust, an important building block for astronomical objects in the universe, is distributed. The galaxy’s outer ring shows complex clumps in the infrared for the first time.
The researchers say that the clumpy nature of the dust, in which MIRI detects carbon-containing molecules called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, may indicate the presence of young star-forming regions. However, unlike some of the galaxies studied with Webb, such as Messier82, which produces 10 times as many stars as the Milky Way galaxy, the Sombrero Galaxy is not a special center of star formation. The rings of the Sombrero galaxy produce less than one solar mass of stars per year, while the Milky Way produces about two solar masses per year.
NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)
Supermassive black hole
The supermassive black hole in the center of the Sombrero Galaxy, also known as an active galactic nucleus (AGN), is quite docile, even with a massive mass of 9 billion solar masses.
It is classified as a low-luminosity AGN and slowly absorbs matter from the galaxy, emitting a bright, relatively small jet.
Globular clusters
The Sombrero Galaxy is also home to about 2,000 globular clusters, consisting of hundreds of thousands of old stars held together by gravity.
This type of system serves as a pseudo-laboratory for astronomers to study stars – thousands of stars in one system with the same age but different masses and other properties are an intriguing opportunity for comparative studies.
Distant galaxies
In a MIRI image, galaxies of different shapes and colors cover the cosmic background. The different colors of these background galaxies can tell astronomers about their properties, including how far away they are.
The Sombrero Galaxy is located about 30 million light years from Earth in the constellation Virgo.
New discoveries with Webb
Stunning images like this one and many discoveries in the study of exoplanets, galaxies over time, star formation, and our own solar system are just the beginning. Scientists from around the world recently converged – virtually – to bid for observing time on Webb during its fourth year of science, which will begin in July 2025.
The competition for Webby observing time has never been greater. By October 15, 2024, the deadline for applications, a record number of 2377 applications were submitted, requesting about 78,000 hours of observation time. This means that the oversubscription rate, i.e. the ratio of the number of requested observing hours to the actual time available in one year of Webb’s operation, is approximately 9 to 1.
Applications cover a wide range of scientific topics, with distant galaxies being among the most requested for observations, followed by exoplanet atmospheres, stars and stellar populations, and then exoplanetary systems.
