Astr110 Photography Projects, Spring 2006

M106 Galaxy, Chaz Amidon

M106 is a spiral galaxy composed of two major spiral "arms" as well as twin jets. It is approximately 25 million light years away and is estimated to be 30,000 light years in diameter. As a part of the Canes Venatici constellation, the galaxy has been observed to give off radio and x-ray emissions while maintaining a magnitude of 8.4 viewed from Earth. The linear size of the M106 galaxy based on its angular size in the picture is about 50,000 light years.

This particular image shows the two spiral arms (located at the poles) of M106 spinning in a counter-clockwise motion. Radio and x-ray activity is displayed by the bright, yellow area located in the center of the galaxy.

References:
http://www.astropix.com/HTML/C_SPRING/M106.HTM
http://www.astrocruise.com/m106.htm