M104 — The Sombrero Galaxy: A Masterpiece of Symmetry and Shadow Suspended 29 million light-years from Earth, in the constellation Virgo, lies a galaxy that blends elegance with enigma. Known as the Sombrero Galaxy, or Messier 104, it captivates astronomers with its luminous core encircled by a dark, perfectly defined dust ring — a silhouette shaped by billions of years of cosmic evolution. This galaxy isn’t just beautiful — it’s profound. At its heart spins a supermassive black hole, millions of times the mass of our Sun, surrounded by billions of stars forming a majestic stellar halo. Its iconic profile, reminiscent of a wide-brimmed hat, is not mere coincidence — it's the result of precise galactic dynamics, viewed edge-on from our perspective. A poetic alignment of dust, light, and gravity. NASA