Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Canes Venatici (CVn)  ·  Contains:  M 106  ·  NGC 4217  ·  NGC 4226  ·  NGC 4231  ·  NGC 4232  ·  NGC 4248  ·  NGC 4258  ·  PGC 166129  ·  PGC 213956  ·  PGC 213962  ·  PGC 2291779  ·  PGC 2292054  ·  PGC 2292458  ·  PGC 2292932  ·  PGC 2294177  ·  PGC 2295162  ·  PGC 2296601  ·  PGC 2297038  ·  PGC 2299019  ·  PGC 2299122  ·  PGC 2299193  ·  PGC 2299404  ·  PGC 2299877  ·  PGC 2300032  ·  PGC 2300116  ·  PGC 2300125  ·  PGC 2300151  ·  PGC 2300712  ·  PGC 2300772  ·  PGC 2301052  ·  And 4 more.
M106, NGC 4217, Jerry Macon
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M106, NGC 4217

M106, NGC 4217, Jerry Macon
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M106, NGC 4217

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Description

Images from the following two scopes (piggybacked) contributed to this image:

AG12+ASI1600MM at .70 asec/pix

TV127is+ASI183MM at .75 asec/pix.

They were all registered to the best R image taken on the AG12.

Using L from the TV NP127is refractor effectively eliminates the spikes from the AG12.

This target has a multitude of lovely little galaxies.

Messier 106 (also known as NGC 4258) is an intermediate spiral galaxy in the constellation Canes Venatici. It was discovered by Pierre Méchain in 1781. M106 is at a distance of about 22 to 25 million light-years away from Earth. M106 contains an active nucleus classified as a Type 2 Seyfert, and the presence of a central supermassive black hole has been demonstrated from radio-wavelength observations of the rotation of a disk of molecular gas orbiting within the inner light-year around the black hole. NGC 4217 is a possible companion galaxy of Messier 106. A Type II supernova was observed in M106 in May 2014.

M106 has a water vapor megamaser (the equivalent of a laser operating in microwave instead of visible light and on a galactic scale) that is seen by the 22-GHz line of ortho-H2O that evidences dense and warm molecular gas. These water vapors give M106 its characteristic purple color. Water masers are useful to observe nuclear accretion disks in active galaxies. The water masers in M106 enabled the first case of a direct measurement of the distance to a galaxy, thereby providing an independent anchor for the cosmic distance ladder. M106 has a slightly warped, thin, almost edge-on Keplerian disc which is on a subparsec scale.

It is one of the largest and brightest nearby galaxies, similar in size and luminosity to the Andromeda Galaxy.

M106 has also played an important role in calibrating the cosmic distance ladder. Before, Cepheid variables from other galaxies could not be used to measure distances since they cover ranges of metallicities different from the Milky Way's. M106 contains Cepheid variables similar to both the metallicities of the Milky Way and other galaxies' Cepheids. By measuring the distance of the Cepheids with metallicities similar to our galaxy, astronomers are able to recalibrate the other Cepheids with different metallicities, a key fundamental step in improving quantification of distances to other galaxies in the universe.
(Wikipedia)

My Collections:
Abell Planetary Nebulae (Complete)
Galaxies
Messier Objects
Planetary Nebulae
Sharpless 2 Objects

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M106, NGC 4217, Jerry Macon

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Galaxies
Messier Objects