Messier 106

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Messier 106

M106 taken at St. Francis Xavier University
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 about 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]

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[edit] Characteristics

M106 has a water vapor maser that is seen by the 22GHz 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 4 × 107M?.[8]

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database. Results for Messier 106. Retrieved on December 7, 2006.
  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. 
  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". The Astrophysical Journal 652 (2): 1133-1149. 
  4. ^ Bonanos, Alceste Z. (2006). "Eclipsing Binaries: Tools for Calibrating the Extragalactic Distance Scale". Binary Stars as Critical Tools and Tests in Contemporary Astrophysics, International Astronomical Union. Symposium no. 240, held 22-25 August, 2006 in Prague, Czech Republic, S240, #008. 
  5. ^ Humphreys, E. M. L.; Greenhill, L. J.; Reid, M. J.; Argon, A. L.; Moran, J. M. (2004). "Improved Maser Distance to NGC 4258". American Astronomical Society Meeting 205, #73.01; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society 36: 1468. 
  6. ^ a b SIMBAD Astronomical Database. Results for Messier 106. Retrieved on December 7, 2006.
  7. ^ A spiral galaxy with a strange core.
  8. ^ Henkel, C.; Peck, A. B.; Tarchi, A.; Nagar, N. M.; Braatz, J. A.; Castangia, P.; Moscadelli, L. (June II 2005). "New H2O masers in Seyfert and FIR bright galaxies". Astronomy and Astrophysics 436 (1): 75-90. 


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