Abstract
LINEAR polarisation of light has been observed in several galaxies1–4, but the only previous detailed polarisation pattern has been mapped in M822,3,5,6 from which information about the luminous and physical structure of the galaxy has been deduced7. Clearly, detailed knowledge of the polarisation pattern in a nebula is a powerful tool for further understanding of the nebula. In this letter we present a map of the linear optical polarisation of the Sombrero Galaxy (M104) giving the first clear evidence for the existence of a magnetic field which maintains the same projected direction over an estimated volume of some 103 kpc3.
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SCARROTT, S., WHITE, C., PALLISTER, W. et al. Evidence from optical polarisation for a galactic-scale uniform magnetic field in M104. Nature 265, 32–34 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1038/265032a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/265032a0
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