Messier 106 (Canes Venatici)
Fig. 1 - Calibration object in the Cosmic Distance Ladder: Messier 106 (NGC 4258) in Canes Venatici, photographed with a 16-inch f/4.5 Dob on an equatorial platform. The small galaxy above Messier 106 is NGC 4248.
| 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 galaxy Messier 106 (NGC 4258) in the constellation Canes Venatici. Messier 106 is at a distance of 22 to 25 million light-years away from Earth. It contains an active nucleus classified as a Type 2 Seyfert (narrow emission lines). Messier 106 was discovered by Pierre Méchain in 1781 (source: Wikipedia).
Exposure time: 3h 11min (65x approx. 3min) at ISO 800, taken on April 4 / 5, 2021 and on April 8, 2021. Processing with DeepSkyStacker and Photoshop. No calibration frames were taken.
Equipment: Nikon D7500 Lifepixel h-alpha modified camera, TeleVue Universal Paracorr coma corrector, 16" f/4.5 "Ninja" dobsonian telescope riding on a dual-axis Tom Osypowski equatorial platform, Lacerta MGEN autoguider, Lacerta off axis system.
Field of view comparison: image of the moon with the same equipment.
Fig. 2 - Search chart for Messier 106. Copyright 2025 'The Mag-7 Star Atlas Project', www.siaris.net.