Astronomy photography highlighted by NASA this Thursday (22) on the web Astronomical picture of the day brings out the beauty of Messier 106 (or just M106). It is a large spiral galaxy located near the constellation Canes Venatici.
The galaxy, also called NGC 4258, is 23.5 million light-years away and measures about 80,000 light-years across—for comparison, consider the Milky Way’s diameter of 180 light-years. Therefore, M106 is the largest member of the Canes II group of galaxies.
In the photo, Messier 106 appears next to NGC 4217, also a spiral galaxy. You can find it in the lower right corner of the photo. Because we see it almost perfectly from the side, this galaxy is an excellent object for studying the dust above and below the galactic planes.
It has several particle structures and some reach up to 7 thousand light years from the central plane. By studying them, astronomers can identify the mechanisms behind the release of gas and dust in the central plane of galaxies.
Galaxy M106
The galaxy M106 was not discovered in 1781 by the French astronomer Charles Messier, but by Pierre Méchain, his assistant. Being relatively bright, it can be seen with a small telescope; however, more powerful tools are needed to reveal its details.
Although M106 is of the spiral type, it has an extra pair of arms, a feature that is unusual for galaxies of this type. Unlike others in its structure, the pair of arms is made mostly of hot gas, not stars.
The origin of these structures is still unclear, but it is possible that they are related to the supermassive black hole at the center of the galaxy. In this case, they would be created by the movement of matter around the black hole.
Source: APOD
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