Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

M104: The Sombrero Galaxy's Tidal Streams

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for October 5, 2026 is “M104: The Sombrero Galaxy's Tidal Streams,” an image. The picture is copyrighted by its creator (Engelbert Vollmer). The original explanation runs about 160 words.

A starfield has an bright blobby mess in middle. Running vertically through the very middle is a dark streak. A diagonal ring of brightness surrounds the central blob.
Credit & Copyright: Engelbert Vollmer Copyrighted Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“A deep image of the Sombrero galaxy reveals surprises. M104 is named the Sombrero galaxy because, on shorter exposures, it looks like a hat.”

— APOD editors, October 5, 2026

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
October 5, 2026
Type
Image
Credit
Credit & Copyright: Engelbert Vollmer
Copyright
Copyrighted by the credited creator. Ask the copyright holder before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 160 words

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Topics in this entry

Galaxies

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

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Source

Copy taken Oct 28, 2026, 2:39 AM EDT. The image and explanation belong to their creators. OpenOrbit is not affiliated with or endorsed by NASA.