Discovered in 1871, the Sombrero Galaxy is located in the constellation of Virgo a mere 28 million light years from Earth. It is 30% the size of the Milky Way Galaxy and is known for its prominent bulge in the centre.

It gets its name from the striking resemblance to a Mexican hat called a sombrero. Due to its brightness it is easily viewed by amateur astronomers through a good pair of binoculars or a backyard telescope.

For more information you can go to wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sombrero_Galaxy.