Messier 106 (Canes Venatici)
Fig. 1 - Neither discovered nor catalogued by the renowned 18th century astronomer Charles Messier: The spiral galaxy Messier 106 (top left) and the galaxy NGC 4217 (lower right) in Canes Venatici, photographed with an 8-inch f/5 Newtonian reflector on a ZWO AM5 mount.
| Object name: | Constellation: | Coordinates: | Apparent size: | Visual brightness: |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Messier 106 (= NGC 4258) | Canes Venatici | 12h19m / +47°18' | 18.6' x 7.2' | 8.4 mag |
The intermediate spiral galaxy Messier 106 (NGC 4258) in the constellation Canes Venatici. Messier 106 is one of the largest and brightest nearby galaxies, similar in size and luminosity to the Andromeda Galaxy. It 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. Seyfert galaxies have a quasar-like nucleus with a very high surface brightness and high-ionisation emission lines in the spectrum. Type 2 Seyfert galaxies show only narrow emission lines. Messier 106 is 22 to 25 million light-years away from Earth.
Messier 106 was discovered by French astronomerPierre Méchain in 1781 (source: Wikipedia).
Exposure time: 5h (100x3min) at gain 100 and -10°C, taken on March 12 / 13, 2026. Processing with Astro Pixel Processor (APP) and Photoshop. Darks, flats, and bias were used.
Equipment: Cooled ASI 2600MC Pro camera, TeleVue Paracorr Type II coma corrector, 8" f/5 "ONTC" Newtonian telescope riding on a ZWO AM5 Strain Wave Mount, ZWO OAG-L off axis system, ASI 174MM Mini guide camera, ASIAIR Plus.
Messier 106 was also captured with a 16-inch dobsonian on an equatorial platform. The image can be seen here.
Fig. 2 - Messier 106 (labeled version).
Fig. 3 - Search chart for Messier 106. Copyright 2026 'The Mag-7 Star Atlas Project', www.siaris.net.