The Sombrero Galaxy

This is M104, the Sombrero Galaxy in Virgo. Years ago, I saw the Hubble image of this galaxy, and it played an outsized role in my decision to try my hand at astrophotography. This is 157 (300-second) images taken over three nights, stacked.

StellarVue 152mm Refractor, Nikon D810A DSLR camera, Astro-physics Mach 2 Tracking Mount, guide scope, camera, and software.

I used a process in PIX Insight called Masked Stretch. It helps bring out the fine details without blowing out the brighter core. I also used BlurXTerminator to sharpen it slightly.