Map of the Universe

M106

Galaxy · Galaxy in the constellation Canes Venatici

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M106
Picture: NASA, ESA, the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA), and R. Gendler (for the Hubble Heritage Team). Acknowledgment: J. GaBany, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

About M106

M106 is about 24.71 million light-years from the Sun, so the light we see from it left about 24.71 million years ago.

The map lists it as a galaxy and shows it at the scale of the Milky Way and the Local Group, drawn on the plane of the Milky Way.

Its water maser gives a geometric distance (7.58 Mpc) that anchors the cosmic distance ladder.

Key numbers

Distance24.71 million light-years (7.58 Mpc)
Distance methodredshift-independent (literature)
Supergalactic coordinatesSGL 68.7°, SGB +5.6°

Where it is

Its place in the universe, from the inside out: Virgo Supercluster › Laniakea Supercluster › Observable universe.

Zoom out to see it in context: Council of Giants, a view about 36 million light-years across.

From Wikipedia

Messier 106 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 away from Earth.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Messier 106, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

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