Messier 106

Messier 106
M 106 and its anomalous arms. Composite of IR, x-ray, radio and visible light view (X-ray - blue, Optical - gold, IR - red, Radio - purple; Image credit: NASA/CXC/University of Maryland)
Observation data (J2000 epoch)
Constellation	Canes Venatici
Right ascension	12h 18m 57.5s[1]
Declination	+47° 18′ 14″[1]
Redshift	448 ± 3 km/s[1]
Distance	23.7 ± 1.5 Mly (7.3 ± 0.5 Mpc)[2][3]
Type	SAB(s)bc[1]
Apparent dimensions (V)	18′.6 × 7′.2[1]
Apparent magnitude (V)	9.1[1]
Notable features	Maser galaxy,[4] Seyfert II galaxy[5]
Other designations
M 106,[6] NGC 4258,[1] UGC 7353,[1] PGC 39600[1]
See also: Galaxy, List of galaxies

Messier 106 (also known as NGC 4258) is a spiral galaxy in the constellation Canes Venatici. It was discovered by Pierre Méchain in 1781. M106 is at a distance of about 22 to 25 million light-years away from Earth. It is also a Seyfert II galaxy, which means that due to x-rays and unusual emission lines detected, it is suspected that part of the galaxy is falling into a supermassive black hole in the center.^[7] NGC 4217 is a possible companion galaxy of Messier 106.^[6]

Characteristics

M106 has a water vapor maser that is seen by the 22-GHz line of ortho-H₂O that evidences dense and warm molecular gas. Water masers are useful to observe nuclear accretion disks in active galaxies. M106 has a slightly warped, thin, almost edge-on Keplerian disk which is on a subparsec scale. It surrounds a central area with mass four × 10⁷M_⊙.^[8]

Amateur Image of Messier 106 Showing Possible Companion Spiral NGC 4217 Lower Right

See also

• Canes II Group

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i} "NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database". Results for Messier 106. http://nedwww.ipac.caltech.edu/. Retrieved 2006-12-07. 
2. ^ J. L. Tonry, A. Dressler, J. P. Blakeslee, E. A. Ajhar, A. B. Fletcher, G. A. Luppino, M. R. Metzger, C. B. Moore (2001). "The SBF Survey of Galaxy Distances. IV. SBF Magnitudes, Colors, and Distances". Astrophysical Journal 546 (2): 681–693. arXiv:astro-ph/0011223. Bibcode 2001ApJ...546..681T. doi:10.1086/318301. 
3. ^ Macri, L. M.; Stanek, K. Z.; Bersier, D.; Greenhill, L. J.; Reid, M. J. (2006). "A New Cepheid Distance to the Maser-Host Galaxy NGC 4258 and Its Implications for the Hubble Constant". Astrophysical Journal 652 (2): 1133–1149. arXiv:astro-ph/0608211. Bibcode 2006ApJ...652.1133M. doi:10.1086/508530. 
4. ^ Bonanos, Alceste Z. (2006). "Eclipsing Binaries: Tools for Calibrating the Extragalactic Distance Scale". Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union 2 (S240). arXiv:astro-ph/0610923. Bibcode 2007IAUS..240...79B. doi:10.1017/S1743921307003845. 
5. ^ Humphreys, E. M. L.; Greenhill, L. J.; Reid, M. J.; Argon, A. L.; Moran, J. M.; Greenhill; Reid; Argon; Moran (2004). "Improved Maser Distance to NGC 4258". Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society 36: 1468. Bibcode 2004AAS...205.7301H. 
6. ^ ^{a b} "SIMBAD Astronomical Database". Results for Messier 106. http://SIMBAD.u-strasbg.fr/SIMBAD. Retrieved 2006-12-07. 
7. ^ "A spiral galaxy with a strange core". Astronomy Picture of the Day. http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000215.html. 
8. ^ Henkel, C.; Peck, A. B.; Tarchi, A.; Nagar, N. M.; Braatz, J. A.; Castangia, P.; Moscadelli, L. (2005). "New H₂O masers in Seyfert and FIR bright galaxies". Astronomy and Astrophysics 436 (1): 75–90. arXiv:astro-ph/0503070. Bibcode 2005A&A...436...75H. doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20042175. 

External links

• StarDate: M106 Fact Sheet
• Spiral Galaxy M106 at SEDS Messier pages
• Messier 106 on WikiSky: DSS2, SDSS, GALEX, IRAS, Hydrogen α, X-Ray, Astrophoto, Sky Map, Articles and images
• NGC 4258: Mysterious Arms Revealed
• Spiral Galaxy Messier 106 (NGC 4258) at the astro-photography site of Mr. Takayuki Yoshida.
• "Messier 106". Astronomy Picture of the Day. 2011-03-19. http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap110319.html. </ref>

Coordinates: 12^h 18^m 57.5^s, +47° 18′ 14″