Sombrero Galaxy Has a Split Personality

There are hundreds of billions of galaxies in the universe, handily divided into three basic types: spiral, elliptical and “irregular.” But even when you think you know a galaxy, it just might surprise you. Such is the case with the so-called “Sombrero Galaxy” (a.k.a. NGC 4594).

Discovered in 1767 by Pierre Mechain, its name derives from the fact that, when viewed from Earth, the galaxy looks like a wide-brimmed hat: a thin disk with a bulge in the center.

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