Galaxy M106, also known as NGC 4258, is a captivating spiral galaxy located around 22-25 million light-years away in the Canes Venatici constellation.
Its intricate spiral arms are adorned with patches of blue, signifying active star formation.
At its core lies an Active Galactic Nucleus (AGN), suggesting a supermassive black hole’s presence, emitting a range of electromagnetic radiation.
The exact number of stars in a galaxy like M106 is difficult to determine with absolute precision.
Galaxies can contain billions to trillions of stars, and M106, being a spiral galaxy, likely falls within this vast range.
It’s estimated that galaxies like M106 can have anywhere from tens of billions to over a hundred billion stars.
It’s my second picture of that galaxy, first one on 2017 with what I could see a great improvement on the capture, process and equipment.
Equipment
Imaging Telescopes Or Lenses
CFF Telescopes Ritchey-Chretien 250mm f/8
Imaging Cameras
QHYCCD QHY268 M ×
Mounts
Mesu-Optics 200 MK II
Filters
Astrodon Gen2 E-Series Tru-Balance Blue 36 mm · Astrodon Gen2 E-Series Tru-Balance Green 36 mm · Astrodon Gen2 E-Series Tru-Balance Lum 36 mm · Astrodon Gen2 E-Series Tru-Balance Red 36 mm · Astrodon H-alpha 5nm 36 mm
Accessories
MoonLite NiteCrawler 3.0″ · Pegasus Astro Ultimate Powerbox 2 · QHYCCD QHYCFW3-M-US × · QHYCCD QHYOAG-M × · Talon 6 · TS-Optics 0.8x RC Reducer (TSRCRed) ×
Software
Pleiades Astrophoto PixInsight · Starkeeper Voyager Custom Array
Guiding Cameras
ZWO ASI174MM Mini
Acquisition details
Frames:
Astrodon Gen2 E-Series Tru-Balance Blue 36 mm: 100×120″(3h 20′)
Astrodon Gen2 E-Series Tru-Balance Green 36 mm: 100×120″(3h 20′)
Astrodon Gen2 E-Series Tru-Balance Lum 36 mm: 200×120″(6h 40′)
Astrodon Gen2 E-Series Tru-Balance Red 36 mm: 100×120″(3h 20′)
Astrodon H-alpha 5nm 36 mm: 30×600″(5h)
Integration:
21h 40′
RA center: 12h18m56s.320
DEC center: +47°18′14″.22
Pixel scale: 0.732 arcsec/pixel
Orientation: 92.436 degrees
Field radius: 0.447 degrees
WCS transformation: thin plate spline
Resolution: 3634×2486
File size: 15.9 MB
Locations: AAS Montsec, Àger, Lleida, Spain
Data source: Own remote observatory
Remote source: Non-commercial independent facility
via Flickr https://flic.kr/p/2oYDYCM