M104
Sombrero Galaxy in Virgo

10.1” f/4.5   Mallincam DS432cTEC with 1.5x Barlow
Exposures = 5-10-15 sec, Live-stacked frames = 25-26-49 (100 total), Gain = 22 of 250 

The Sombrero Galaxy, seen here with a 1.5x Barlow at about 125x magnification, was easily spotted about 11 degrees due west of 1st magnitude Spica right near the Virgo-Corvus boundary. The dark dust lane on the lower southerly edge of the galaxy began to become apparent after 6 or 7 minutes of exposure time. This nearly edge-on spiral appears to be about 5 arcminutes in length in this image, its actual size is approximately the same as the Milky Way (100,000 light years across). It’s listed as approximately 31 million light years away and is considered part of the Virgo Supercluster of galaxies.

North is at 1 o’clock, East at 10 o’clock