Spiral Galaxy Messier 106

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

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 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.