Go / no go for deep skyGo / no go for deep sky imaging
M106
spiral galaxy in Canes Venatici
M106 is a large, bright spiral galaxy in Canes Venatici with an active core. Faint extra arms, visible in deep exposures, appear where gas jets interact with the disc. Nearby galaxies, NGC 4217 and 4248, can share a wide frame.
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// Key facts
- Catalog
- M106
- Type
- spiral galaxy
- Constellation
- Canes Venatici
- Size
- 19′ across
- Brightness
- Magnitude 8.4
- Distance
- about 24 million light-years
- Peak month (any location)
- Mar
- Typical prime months
- Jan to Jun
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Filter
- No filter (broadband); a light-pollution filter is optional
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How to image M106
- At 19 arcminutes, 800 to 1,200 mm frames it well.
- Dark sky and long exposure reveal the faint extra arms.
- High in the sky on spring evenings.
Framing: what focal length?
M106 is small, so a "60% of the frame" focal length would be impractical. Here is how much of an APS-C frame it covers at common long focal lengths; expect to crop.
| Focal length | Share of the frame width |
|---|---|
| 1,000 mm | about 24% |
| 2,000 mm | about 47% |
| 3,000 mm | about 71% |
How high does it climb from your latitude?
The highest point M106 reaches in the sky. Above about 60° is excellent, 30° to 60° is workable, and under 30° you are looking through a lot of air.
| Latitude | Highest point | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| 55°N (Scotland, Alaska) | 82° | High in the sky |
| 45°N (Minneapolis, Milan) | 88° | High in the sky |
| 35°N (Los Angeles, Tokyo) | 78° | High in the sky |
| 25°N (Miami, Cairo) | 68° | High in the sky |
| 35°S (Sydney, Santiago) | 8° | Stays low |
Also worth imaging
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