Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Canes Venatici (CVn)  ·  Contains:  M 106  ·  NGC 4217  ·  NGC 4226  ·  NGC 4232  ·  NGC 4248  ·  NGC 4258
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M106 Under a Full Moon, George Simon
M106 Under a Full Moon
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M106 Under a Full Moon

Getting plate-solving status, please wait...
M106 Under a Full Moon, George Simon
M106 Under a Full Moon
Powered byPixInsight

M106 Under a Full Moon

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The weather has been so poor here for the last several months that no clear night can be skipped for imaging, regardless of how much moonlight there might be. Two nights ago was one of those rare, clear nights, and of course, the Moon was nearly full. I did a quick search for a target that might be bright enough to punch through all that moonlight, and I came up with M106. I had not imaged this lovely galaxy in almost 7 years, so I decided to give it a go.

M106, located about 23.6 million light years away, is a member of the Canes Venatici II Galaxy Group, which itself is a member of the Local Supercluster. NGC 4217, the edge-on spiral galaxy at the lower right of the image, is also a member of the CVn II Group. M106 is a Seyfert II galaxy, with an actively feeding supermassive black hole at its center. Part of the radiation emitted by the material falling into the black hole occupies the microwave portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. Thus, M106 operates as a maser.

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M106 Under a Full Moon, George Simon

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