M 106...and its friends
About image
M 106 (also known as NGC 4258) is a spiral galaxy visible in the constellation of Canes Venatici and about 25 million light years away.
M106 is an example of Seyfert's galaxy; the detection of unusual radio wave and X-ray emissions indicates that probably part of the galaxy is falling into a supermassive black hole located in its center.
The shape of M106 resembles that of the Andromeda Galaxy (M31), but with a different inclination, so that all the structures of dust clouds on the galactic plane are thus visible.
Other bright galaxies are visible in the field: popularly they are identified as "friends" of M106. But doing an image solving in Pixinsight software and then an annotation dozens and dozens of other far galaxies are visible, see image on the right (every object named PGC - followed by some identificative digits - is a galaxy).
Technical data
Optic Tecnosky Apo refractor LT 130-910 with Riccardi reducer 0.75x (focal lenght 692mm, f/5.3)
Mount Skywatcher EQ8
Camera Moravian G3-16200 CCD with external filter wheel 7 positions
Filters Baader 50mm unmounted LRGB
Guiding system Artesky Ultraguide 70mm
Exposure details L 95x120" bin1 -15C
R 35x120" bin1 -15C
G 35x120" bin1 -15C
B 34x120" bin1 -15C
Total integration 6h38'
Acquisition Voyager, PHD2
Processing Pixinsight 1.8, Photoshop CS5, NoiseXTerminator, BlurXterminator, StarXTerminator
SQM-L 18.2
Location Rescaldina (Italy), home terrace
Date 30/31 March 2025
© Roberto Marinoni 2019 - All rights reserved