Free Astronomy Magazine January-February 2025

42 JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2025 objects in the Universe, is distrib- uted. The galaxy’s outer ring shows intricate clumps in the infrared for the first time. Researchers say the clumpy nature of the dust, where MIRI detects car- bon-containing molecules called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, can indicate the presence of young star-forming regions. However, un- like some galaxies studied with Webb, including Messier 82, where 10 times as many stars are born as in the Milky Way galaxy, the Sombrero galaxy is not a particular hotbed of star formation. The rings of the Sombrero galaxy produce less than one solar mass of stars per year, in comparison to the Milky Way’s roughly two solar masses a year. The supermassive black hole at the centre of the Sombrero galaxy, also known as an active galactic nucleus (AGN), is rather docile, even at a hefty 9-bil- lion-solar masses. It’s classified as a low lu- minosity AGN, slowly snacking on infalling material from the galaxy, while sending off a bright, relatively small, jet. Also within the Som- brero galaxy dwell some 2000 globular clusters, a collection of hundreds of thou- sands of old stars held together by gravity. This type of system serves as a pseudo laboratory for astronomers to study stars – thousands of stars within one sys- tem with the same age, but varying masses and other properties is an in- triguing opportunity for comparison studies. In the MIRI image, galaxies of vary- ing shapes and colours litter the background of space. The different colours of these background galax- ies can tell astronomers about their properties, including how far away they are. by NASA/ESA/CSA Bethany Downer Ninja Menning A new mid-infrared image from the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Tele- scope features the Sombrero galaxy, also known as Messier 104 (M104). The signature, glowing core seen in visible-light images does not shine, and instead a smooth inner disk is revealed. The sharp resolution of Webb’s MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instru- ment) also brings into focus details of the galaxy’s outer ring, providing insights into how the dust, an essen- tial building block for astronomical T his video takes the viewer on a journey through space to the Sombrero Galaxy, also known as Messier 104 (M104). [NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, ESO/IDA/Danish 1.5 m, DSS 2, The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA), N. Bartmann (ESA/Webb), R. Gendler and J.-E. Ovaldsen, E. Slawik, N. Risinger & M. Zamani (ESA/Webb) − Music: Tonelabs – The Red North (www.tonelabs.com) ] Sombrero galaxy dazzles in new Webb image