Object Information:

  Messier 104  (NGC 4594),
  Magnitude  -  8.0,
  Spiral Galaxy Type - SA,
  Constellation -  Virgo,
  Distance -  estimated to be approximately 65-70 million light years distant,
  Size -  135,000+ light years.

This large spiral galaxy is a member of the Coma-Virgo Galaxy Cluster, a large group of galaxies seen in the constellations of Virgo and Coma Bernices.  M104 lies approximately 65-70 million light years away.  Although this galaxy is  slightly larger than our own Milky Way galaxy at 135,000 light years in diameter its calculated luminosity is 210 billion suns, more than 16 times the brightness of our own galaxy.  It is interesting to remember that the light that was used to create this picture left M104 at about the time that the dinosaurs on earth suffered their mass extinction. 

  Imaged at: 

  Mt. Laguna, Cleveland National Forest, San Diego County, California;
  Elevation - 5500 feet

  Equipment:  

  Optics - Takahashi MT-160 at f/6.3,
  Mount - Losmandy G-11 with SkyWalker Servo drive,
  Camera - Santa Barbara Instrument Group (SBIG) ST-7E NABG CCD,
  Guided with the SBIG STV

  Exposure Information:

  April 13, 2002
  Sum of eight, 300 second exposures,
                                                  

  Camera Control Software:

  CCD Soft Ver. 5

  Image Processing Software:

  AIP for Windows, MIRA AP 6.03, Photoshop 6.