The image, captured by a telescope in Chile, shows Messier 104 about 30 million light-years away, with color imaging finalized this week.
The detailed photo reveals the galaxy’s stellar halo, which is three times the size of the galaxy itself, and a stream of stars pouring from its southern edge.
Scientists believe these features resulted from ancient galactic collisions. The Sombrero galaxy, discovered in the 1700s, remains one of the largest in the Virgo cluster.
Could the Sombrero's billion-sun black hole be evidence of a past galactic merger?
What secrets does the Sombrero galaxy's ghostly halo hide about its violent, cosmic past?
Are galactic collisions like the Sombrero's shaping the future of our own Milky Way?
How will a new 3D map of 47 million galaxies challenge our view of the universe?
An energy plant almost blinded our best telescopes. How was this cosmic disaster averted?
This image isn't about dark energy, so why was a 'Dark Energy Camera' used?