The spiral arms of bright, active galaxy M106 sprawl through thisremarkable multiwavelength portrait, composed of image data from radio to X-rays,across the electromagnetic spectrum. Also known as NGC 4258,M106 can be found toward the northern constellationCanes Venatici. The well-measureddistance to M106 is 23.5 million light-years, making this cosmic scene about 60,000 light-years across. Typical in grand spiral galaxies, dark dust lanes, youthful star clusters, and star forming regions trace spiral armsthat converge on a bright nucleus. But this composite highlightstwo anomalous arms in radio (purple) and X-ray (blue) that seem to arise in the central region of M106,evidenceof energetic jets of material blasting into the galaxy's disk. The jets are likely powered by matter falling into amassive central black hole.
July 07, 2014
NGC 4258,M106
The spiral arms of bright, active galaxy M106 sprawl through thisremarkable multiwavelength portrait, composed of image data from radio to X-rays,across the electromagnetic spectrum. Also known as NGC 4258,M106 can be found toward the northern constellationCanes Venatici. The well-measureddistance to M106 is 23.5 million light-years, making this cosmic scene about 60,000 light-years across. Typical in grand spiral galaxies, dark dust lanes, youthful star clusters, and star forming regions trace spiral armsthat converge on a bright nucleus. But this composite highlightstwo anomalous arms in radio (purple) and X-ray (blue) that seem to arise in the central region of M106,evidenceof energetic jets of material blasting into the galaxy's disk. The jets are likely powered by matter falling into amassive central black hole.
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