Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Canes Venatici (CVn)  ·  Contains:  M 106  ·  NGC 4248  ·  NGC 4258
M106 - Spewing Radiance (HaLRGB), Ali Alobaidly
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M106 - Spewing Radiance (HaLRGB)

M106 - Spewing Radiance (HaLRGB), Ali Alobaidly
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M106 - Spewing Radiance (HaLRGB)

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Oh boy! What did I get myself into? We've all seen those incredible Hubble images of this marvelous galaxy, M106, spewing jets of hydrogen alpha from its core. That image has always stuck with me since the first time I saw it. Naturally, I decided I wanted to capture those hydrogen emissions for myself. To my absolute horror, THEY WERE SO FAINT. Still, I kept grinding away at the target, trekking back and forth into the Kuwaiti desert until I gathered around 14.5 hours of total Ha integration time.

M106, also known as NGC 4258, is a stunning spiral galaxy located in the constellation Canes Venatici. It’s famous for its peculiar, extra set of spiral arms glowing in hydrogen alpha, a telltale sign of intense star formation and dynamic activity within the galaxy. These jets are believed to be caused by the supermassive black hole at its center, making it a fascinating subject for any astrophotographer.Despite my best efforts, I was defeated by M106 this year. Those elusive hydrogen alpha emissions played hard to get. But fear not! Next year, I won't be knocked down so easily. We'll push those hours right up to 60 and beyond, and we'll see if that opposite strand of Ha still hides among the light!

For now, this is what I've managed. I hope you like it, and I hope to see you all again next year for some more rounds of cosmic adventure!

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M106 - Spewing Radiance (HaLRGB), Ali Alobaidly