View source for Messier 106

{{Short description|Galaxy in the constellation Canes Venatici}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2017}}
{{Infobox Galaxy
| name=[[Messier object|Messier]] 106
| image=File:Messier 106 visible and infrared composite.jpg
| caption= M106 and its anomalous arms. Composite of IR (red) and optical light (Credit: [[NASA]], [[ESA]], the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA), and R. Gendler (for the Hubble Heritage Team))
| epoch=[[J2000]]
| type=SAB(s)bc<ref name="ned"/>
| ra={{RA|12|18|57.5}}<ref name="ned" />
| dec={{DEC|+47|18|14}}<ref name="ned" />
| dist_ly={{Convert|23.7|+/-|1.5|Mly|Mpc|abbr=on|lk=on|sigfig=1}}<ref name="tonryetal2001"/><ref name="Macrietal2006"/>
| z=448 ± 3 km/s<ref name="ned" />
| appmag_v=8.4<ref name="ned" />
| size_v=18′.6 × 7′.2<ref name="ned" />
| constellation name=[[Canes Venatici]]
| notes=[[Megamaser]] galaxy,<ref name="Bonanos2006"/> Seyfert II galaxy.<ref name="Humphreysetal2004"/>
| names=[[Messier catalogue|M]] 106, [[New General Catalogue|NGC]] 4258, [[Uppsala General Catalogue|UGC]] 7353, [[Principal Galaxies Catalogue|PGC]] 39600.<ref name="ned" /><ref name="SIMBAD" />
|size = 151,700 [[light-year|ly]] (46.53 [[kiloparsec|kpc]]) (estimated)<ref name = "ned"/><ref>http://freestarcharts.com/index.php/20-guides/messier/262-messier-106-m106-spiral-galaxy freestarcharts</ref>
}}
'''Messier 106''' (also known as '''NGC 4258''') 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-year]]s away from [[Earth]]. M106 contains an [[Active galactic nucleus|active nucleus]] classified as a [[Seyfert galaxy|Type 2 Seyfert]], and the presence of a central [[supermassive black hole]] has been demonstrated from [[Radio astronomy|radio-wavelength]] observations of the rotation of a [[Accretion disk|disk]] of molecular gas orbiting within the inner [[light-year]] around the black hole.<ref name="miyoshi1995">{{cite journal|last1=Miyoshi|first1=Makoto|display-authors=etal|title=Evidence for a black hole from high rotation velocities in a sub-parsec region of NGC4258|journal=Nature|date=12 January 1995|volume=373|issue=6510|pages=127–129|doi=10.1038/373127a0|bibcode=1995Natur.373..127M|s2cid=4336316}}</ref>  [[NGC 4217]] is a possible companion galaxy of Messier 106.<ref name="SIMBAD"/> Besides the two visible arms, it has two "anomalous arms" detectable using an X-ray telescope.

==Characteristics==
M106 has a water vapor [[megamaser]] (the equivalent of a laser operating in microwave instead of visible light and on a galactic scale) that is seen by the 22-GHz line of ortho-H<sub>2</sub>O that evidences dense and warm molecular gas. Water masers are useful for observing nuclear [[accretion disk]]s in [[active galaxies]]. The water masers in M106 enabled the first case of a direct measurement of the distance to a galaxy, thereby providing an independent anchor for the cosmic [[distance ladder]].<ref>{{cite journal|first=J. R. |last=Herrnstein|display-authors=etal|title=A geometric distance to the galaxy NGC 4258 from orbital motions in a nuclear gas disk|journal=Nature|date=1999|volume=400|issue=6744|pages=539–541|doi=10.1038/22972|arxiv = astro-ph/9907013 |bibcode = 1999Natur.400..539H |s2cid=204995005}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|first=Richard |last=de Grijs|title=An Introduction to Distance Measurement in Astronomy|page=109|date=2011|location=Chichester|publisher=[[John Wiley & Sons]]|isbn=978-0-470-51180-0}}</ref> M106 has a slightly warped, thin, almost edge-on [[Keplerian disc]] which is on a [[Parsec|subparsec]] scale. It surrounds a central area with mass {{val|4|e=7|ul=solar mass}}.<ref name="Henkeletal2005"/>

It is one of the largest and brightest nearby galaxies, similar in size and luminosity to the [[Andromeda Galaxy]].<ref name="Karachentsev2004">{{cite journal
    | last1=Karachentsev |first1=Igor D.
    | last2=Karachentseva |first2=Valentina E.
    | last3=Huchtmeier |first3=Walter K.
    | last4=Makarov |first4=Dmitry I.
    | title=A Catalog of Neighboring Galaxies
    | journal=The Astronomical Journal
    | date=2003
    | volume=127
    | issue=4
    | pages=2031–2068
    | bibcode=2004AJ....127.2031K
    | doi=10.1086/382905| doi-access=free
    }}</ref> The [[supermassive black hole]] at the core has a mass of {{Val|3.9e7|0.1|u=solar mass}}.<ref name=Graham2008>{{cite journal
 | title=Populating the Galaxy Velocity Dispersion – Supermassive Black Hole Mass Diagram: A Catalogue of (Mbh, σ) Values
 | last1=Graham | first1=Alister W.
 | journal=Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia
 | volume=25 | issue=4 | pages=167–175 | date=November 2008
 | doi=10.1071/AS08013 | bibcode=2008PASA...25..167G |arxiv = 0807.2549 | s2cid=89905 }}</ref>

M106 has also played an important role in calibrating the [[cosmic distance ladder]]. Before, [[Cepheid variables]] from other galaxies could not be used to measure distances since they cover ranges of [[Metallicity|metallicities]] different from the Milky Way's. M106 contains Cepheid variables similar to both the metallicities of the Milky Way and other galaxies' Cepheids. By measuring the distance of the Cepheids with metallicities similar to our galaxy, astronomers are able to recalibrate the other Cepheids with different metallicities, a key fundamental step in improving quantification of distances to other galaxies in the [[universe]].<ref name="Macrietal2006" />

==Supernovae==
Two [[supernova]]e have been observed in M106:
* '''SN 1981K''' ([[Type_II_supernova|Type II]], mag. 17) was reported by E. Hummel and verified by [[Paul Wild (Swiss astronomer)|Paul Wild]] by examining archival photos dated 3 November 1981.{{r|IAUC-3803|TNS-1981K}}
* SN '''2014bc''' (Type II, mag. 14.8) was discovered by the PS1 Science Consortium 3Pi survey on 19 May 2014.{{r|CBET-3876|TNS-2014bc|ATel-6159}}

[[File:Messier 106 composite.jpg|thumb|Composite image features X-rays from Chandra (blue), radio waves from the VLA (purple), optical data from Hubble (yellow and blue), and infrared with Spitzer (red). Two anomalous arms, which are not visible at optical wavelengths, appear as purple and blue emissions.]]

==See also==
* [[List of Messier objects]]
*[[Canes II Group]]

==References==
{{reflist|refs=

<ref name="ned">{{cite web | title=NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database | work=Results for Messier 106 | url=http://nedwww.ipac.caltech.edu/ | access-date=7 December 2006 }}</ref>

<ref name="tonryetal2001">{{cite journal | display-authors=1 | first1=J. L. | last1=Tonry | first2=A.  | last2=Dressler | first3=J. P. | last3=Blakeslee | first4=E. A. | last4=Ajhar | first5=A. B. | last5=Fletcher | first6=G. A. | last6=Luppino | first7=M. R. | last7=Metzger | first8=C. B. | last8=Moore | date=2001 | title=The SBF Survey of Galaxy Distances. IV. SBF Magnitudes, Colors, and Distances | journal=[[Astrophysical Journal]] | volume=546 | issue=2 | pages=681–693 | bibcode=2001ApJ...546..681T | doi=10.1086/318301 | arxiv=astro-ph/0011223 | s2cid=17628238 }}</ref>

<ref name="Macrietal2006">{{cite journal | display-authors=1 | last1=Macri | first1=L. M. | last2=Stanek | first2=K. Z. | last3=Bersier | first3=D. | last4=Greenhill | first4=L. J. | last5=Reid | first5=M. J. | date=2006 | title=A New Cepheid Distance to the Maser-Host Galaxy NGC 4258 and Its Implications for the Hubble Constant | journal=[[Astrophysical Journal]] | volume=652 | issue=2 | pages=1133–1149 | bibcode=2006ApJ...652.1133M | doi=10.1086/508530 | arxiv=astro-ph/0608211 | s2cid=15728812 }}</ref>

<ref name="Bonanos2006">{{cite journal | last1=Bonanos | first1=Alceste Z. | date=2006 | title=Eclipsing Binaries: Tools for Calibrating the Extragalactic Distance Scale | journal=Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union | volume=2 | issue=S240 | pages=79–87 | arxiv=astro-ph/0610923 | doi=10.1017/S1743921307003845 | bibcode=2007IAUS..240...79B | s2cid=18827791 }}</ref>

<ref name="Humphreysetal2004">{{cite journal | display-authors=1 | last1=Humphreys | first1=E. M. L. | last2=Greenhill | first2=L. J. | last3=Reid | first3=M. J. | last4=Argon | first4=A. L. | last5=Moran | first5=J. M. | date=2004 | title=Improved Maser Distance to NGC 4258 | journal=[[Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society]] | volume=36 | pages=1468 | bibcode=2004AAS...205.7301H }}</ref>

<ref name="Henkeletal2005">{{cite journal | display-authors=1 | last1=Henkel | first1=C. | last2=Peck | first2=A. B. | last3=Tarchi | first3=A. | last4=Nagar | first4=N. M. | last5=Braatz | first5=J. A. | last6=Castangia | first6=P. | last7=Moscadelli | first7=L. | date=2005 | title=New H<sub>2</sub>O masers in Seyfert and FIR bright galaxies | journal=[[Astronomy and Astrophysics]] | volume=436 | issue=1 | pages=75–90 | bibcode=2005A&A...436...75H | doi=10.1051/0004-6361:20042175 | arxiv=astro-ph/0503070 | s2cid=117098659 }}</ref>

<ref name="SIMBAD">{{cite simbad | title=M 106 | access-date=7 December 2006 }}</ref>

<ref name=IAUC-3803>{{cite journal | bibcode=1983IAUC.3803....2H| title=Possible Supernova in NGC 4258| last1=Hummel| first1=E.| last2=Van Der Hulst| first2=J. M.| last3=Davies| first3=R. D.| last4=Pedlar| first4=A.| last5=Van Albada| first5=G. D.| last6=Wild| first6=P.| journal=International Astronomical Union Circular| date=1983| issue=3803| page=2 | url=http://www.cbat.eps.harvard.edu/iauc/03800/03803.html#Item2}}</ref>

<ref name=TNS-1981K>{{cite web | website=Transient Name Server | title=SN 1981K | url=https://www.wis-tns.org/object/1981K | publisher = [[International Astronomical Union|IAU]] | access-date=4 December 2024}}</ref>

<ref name=CBET-3876>{{cite journal | bibcode=2014CBET.3876....1S| title=Supernova 2014bc in M106 = PSN J12185771+4718113| last1=Smartt| first1=S. J.| last2=Smith| first2=K. W.| last3=Wright| first3=D.| last4=Young| first4=D. R.| last5=Kotak| first5=R.| last6=Nicholl| first6=M.| last7=Polshaw| first7=J.| last8=Inserra| first8=C.| last9=Chen| first9=T. -W.| last10=Terreran| first10=G.| last11=Gall| first11=E.| last12=Fraser| first12=M.| last13=McCrum| first13=M.| last14=Valenti| first14=S.| last15=Foley| first15=R.| last16=Lawrence| first16=A.| last17=Gezari| first17=S.| last18=Burgett| first18=W.| last19=Chambers| first19=K.| last20=Huber| first20=M.| last21=Kudritzki| first21=R. P.| last22=Magnier| first22=E.| last23=Morgan| first23=J.| last24=Tonry| first24=J.| last25=Sweeney| first25=W.| last26=Wainscoat| first26=R.| last27=Waters| first27=C.| last28=Stubbs| first28=C.| last29=Kirshner| first29=R.| last30=Metcalfe| first30=N.| journal=Central Bureau Electronic Telegrams| date=2014| issue=3876| page=1| display-authors=1}}</ref>

<ref name=TNS-2014bc>{{cite web | website=Transient Name Server | title=SN 2014bc | url=https://www.wis-tns.org/object/2014bc | publisher = [[International Astronomical Union|IAU]] | access-date=4 December 2024}}</ref>

<ref name=ATel-6159>{{cite journal | bibcode=2014ATel.6159....1Z| title=KAIT Prediscovery Detection of PS1-14xz in NGC 4258 (Messier 106)| last1=Zheng| first1=Weikang| last2=Filippenko| first2=Alexei V.| journal=The Astronomer's Telegram| date=2014| volume=6159| page=1 | url = https://www.astronomerstelegram.org/?read=6159}}</ref>

}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110722021448/http://blackholes.stardate.org/directory/factsheet.php?p=M106 StarDate: M106 Fact Sheet]
* [http://messier.seds.org/m/m106.html Spiral Galaxy M106 at SEDS Messier pages]{{WikiSky}}
* [http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2007/ngc4258/ NGC 4258: Mysterious Arms Revealed ]
* [http://ryutao.main.jp/english/st2k_m106_mt200.html Spiral Galaxy Messier 106 (NGC 4258) at the astro-photography site of Takayuki Yoshida]
* {{Cite APOD | title=Messier 106 | date=19 March 2011 }}
* {{Cite APOD | title=Messier 106 | date=3 May 2012 }}
* [http://www.constellation-guide.com/messier-106-ngc-4258/ Messier 106 at Constellation Guide]

{{Sky|12|18|57.5|+|47|18|14|23700000}}
{{Portal bar|Astronomy|Stars|Outer space}}
{{Catalogs|M=106|NGC=4258|UGC=7353|PGC=39600}}
{{Messier objects}}
{{List of Seyfert galaxies}}
{{Ngc45}}{{Stars of Canes Venatici}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Messier 106}}
[[Category:Intermediate spiral galaxies]]
[[Category:Seyfert galaxies]]
[[Category:Canes II Group]]
[[Category:Canes Venatici]]
[[Category:Messier objects|106]]
[[Category:NGC objects]]
[[Category:UGC objects|07353]]
[[Category:Principal Galaxies Catalogue objects|39600]]
[[Category:Astronomical objects discovered in 1781]]
[[Category:Discoveries by Pierre Méchain]]