Constellation: Virgo
Distance: 29 Million light years
Apparent Magnitude: 9
Actual Size: 50,000 light years across
Visual Size: 8.7 x 3.5 arcminutes
Other Designations: NGC4594

Discovered in March of 1767 by Pierre Méchain.  It was added to the Messier catalogue in 1921 by Camille Flammarion discovered hand written notes about the galaxy.

Messier 104 is a wonderful object to view in the night sky, and is an object loved by both amateurs and professionals alike.  Its distinctive halo is a ring of dust surrounding the galaxy.

The galaxy also has an relatively large number of globular clusters surrounding it.  Estimates of the number of clusters range from 1200 to 2000.