Spiral Galaxy Messier 106
This image of the spiral galaxy Messier 106, or NGC 4258, was taken with the Nicholas U. Mayall 4-meter Telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory, a Program of NSF’s NOIRLab. A popular target for amateur astronomers, Messier 106 can also be spotted with a small telescope in the constellation Canes Venatici. This view captures the entire galaxy, detailing the glowing spiral arms, wisps of gas, and dust lanes at the center of Messier 106 as well as the leisurely twisting bands of stars at the galaxy’s outer edges. Two dwarf galaxies also appear in the image: NGC 4248 in the lower right and UGC 7358 in the lower left.
Credit:KPNO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA
Acknowledgment: PI: M.T. Patterson (New Mexico State University)
Image processing: T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage), M. Zamani & D. de Martin
About the Image
| Id: | noirlab2112a |
| Type: | Observation |
| Release date: | March 16, 2021, noon |
| Related releases: | noirlab2112 |
| Size: | 6527 x 3427 px |
About the Object
Image Formats
Wallpapers
Coordinates
| Position (RA): | 12 18 54.92 |
| Position (Dec): | 47° 18' 10.26" |
| Field of view: | 28.46 x 14.94 arcminutes |
| Orientation: | North is 54.9° right of vertical |
Colors & filters
| Band | Wave-length | Tele-scope |
|---|---|---|
| Optical U | 355 nm | Nicholas U. Mayall 4-meter Telescope Mosaic I |
| Optical B | 438 nm | Nicholas U. Mayall 4-meter Telescope Mosaic I |
| Optical R | 651 nm | Nicholas U. Mayall 4-meter Telescope Mosaic I |
| Optical H-alpha | 657 nm | Nicholas U. Mayall 4-meter Telescope Mosaic I |