M106

[Laurin Dave]

Messier 106 in Canes Venatici is an intermediate spiral galaxy 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 and is about 135,000 light years in diameter. It contains an active nucleus classified as a Type 2 Seyfert, and the presence of a central supermassive black hole has been demonstrated from radio-wavelength observations of the rotation of a disk of molecular gas orbiting within the inner light-year around the black hole.

6hrs Lum plus 3 hrs each RGB plus 4hrs Ha captured on an Esprit150/SX46 plus 11hrs Ha captured on piggybacked Esprit100/ASI1600. I started this last year and got colour through a piggybacked GTF81/ASI1600 but this suffered from focuser droop so I reshot the colour through the 150/SX46 a week ago and earlier in the month whilst the moon was about captured a lot of Ha.  Processed in APP, Pixinsight and Photoshop..  a bit of Photoshop trickery was used to highlight the Ha Jet emanating from the core..  (to stop the whole core going red).  Wide field view plus close up of Ha around the core.

Thanks for looking 

Dave

 

Edited March 29, 2020 by Laurin Dave

[stevewanstall]

That's an impressive amount of work! Very nice, well worth it.

[geoflewis]

That's a cracking image Dave, stuffed full of detail and really pleasing colours. I think the Ha blend is spot on and it's good to see the separate Ha image.