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Anomalous Arms
| Title |
Anomalous Arms |
| Description |
In this composite image of spiral galaxy M106 (NGC 4258), optical data from the Digitized Sky Survey is shown as yellow, radio data from the Very Large Array appears as purple, X-ray data from Chandra is coded blue, and infrared data from the Spitzer Space Telescope appears red. Two anomalous arms, which aren't visible at optical wavelengths, appear as purple and blue emission. |
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Chandra X-ray Image of NGC 4
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| Name |
Chandra X-ray Image of NGC 4258 |
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VLA Radio Image of NGC 4258
| Name |
VLA Radio Image of NGC 4258 |
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DSS Optical Image of NGC 425
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| Name |
DSS Optical Image of NGC 4258 |
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NGC 4258 (M106): Mysterious
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| Name |
NGC 4258 (M106): Mysterious Arms Revealed |
| Category |
Normal Galaxies & Starburst Galaxies, Quasars & Active Galaxies |
| Release Date |
April 10, 2007 |
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M106: A Spiral Galaxy with a
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| Title |
M106: A Spiral Galaxy with a Strange Core |
| Explanation |
What's happening at the center of spiral galaxy M106? A swirling disk of stars and gas, M106 [ http://www.seds.org/messier/m/m106.html ]'s appearance is dominated by two bright spiral arms and dark dust [ ftp://ftp.amara.com/papers/dustevolve.txt ] lanes near the nucleus. Bright newly formed stars near their outer tips distinguish the spiral arms in the above photograph [ http://www.noao.edu/outreach/aop/observers/robserver.html ]. The core of M106 glows brightly in radio waves [ http://imagers.gsfc.nasa.gov/ems/radio.html ] and X-rays [ http://www.optonline.com/comptons/ceo/05250_A.html ] where twin jets have been found [ http://adsbit.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-iarticle_query?1995ApJ...440..181C ] running the length of the galaxy. An unusual central glow makes M106 one of the closest examples of the Seyfert class of galaxies [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap981023.html ], where vast amounts of glowing gas are thought to be falling into a central massive black hole [ http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/ask_astro/black_holes.html ]. M [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/messier.html ]106, also designated NGC [ http://www.aspsky.org/ngc/ngc.html ] 4258, is a relatively close 25 million light years away, spans 30 thousand light years [ http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/cosmic_distance.html ] across, and can be seen with a small telescope towards the constellation [ http://www.astro.wisc.edu/~dolan/constellations/extra/constellations.html ] of Canes Venatici [ http://www.astro.wisc.edu/~dolan/constellations/constellations/Canes_Venatici.html ]. |
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The Arms of NGC 4258
| Title |
The Arms of NGC 4258 |
| Explanation |
Better known as M106 [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap050730.html ], bright spiral galaxy NGC 4258 is about 30 thousand light years across and 21 million light years away toward the northern constellation Canes Venatici [ http://hawastsoc.org/deepsky/cvn/index.html ]. The yellow and red hues in this composite image [ http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2007/ngc4258/ ] show the galaxy's sweeping spiral arms [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiral_galaxies ] as seen in visible and infrared light. But x-ray [ http://chandra.harvard.edu/xray_astro/medxray.html ] and radio data [ http://www.nrao.edu/whatisra/index.shtml ] (blue and purple) reveal two extra spiral arms -- arms that don't align with the more familiar tracers of stars, gas, and dust [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap070328.html ]. In fact, an analysis [ http://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0106514 ] of the x-ray [ http://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0701569 ] and radio data suggests that the anamolous arms are composed of material heated by shock waves. Detected at radio wavelengths, powerful [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap030705.html ] jets originating in the galaxy's core likely drive the shocks into the disk of NGC 4258. |
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M106 in Canes Venatici
| Title |
M106 in Canes Venatici |
| Explanation |
Close to the Great Bear (Ursa Major) and surrounded by the stars [ http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/astronomy/stars/ constellations.shtml ] of the Hunting Dogs (Canes Venatici), this celestial nebula was discovered [ http://www.seds.org/messier/Mdes/dm106.html ] in 1781 by the metric [ http://www.britannica.com/eb/article?eu=52982 ] French astronomer Pierre Mechain [ http://www.seds.org/messier/xtra/history/ pmechain.html ] and later added to the catalog of his friend and colleague Charles Messier as M106 [ http://www.seds.org/messier/m/m106.html ]. Modern deep telescopic views reveal it to be an island universe [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020518.html ] -- a spiral galaxy around 30 thousand light-years across located only about 21 million light-years beyond the stars of the Milky Way. Youthful blue star clusters and reddish stellar nurseries trace the striking spiral arms of M106. Seen so clearly in this beautiful image [ http://www.noao.edu/outreach/aop/observers/m106.html ], the galaxy's bright core is also visible across the spectrum [ http://www.ipac.caltech.edu/Outreach/Multiwave/ ] from radio to x-rays, making M106 a nearby example of the Seyfert class [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap981023.html ] of active galaxies. The bright core of a Seyfert galaxy is believed to be powered by matter falling into a massive central black hole [ http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr162/lect/active/ smblack.html ]. |
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M106 in Canes Venatici
| Title |
M106 in Canes Venatici |
| Explanation |
Close to the Great Bear (Ursa Major) and surrounded by the stars [ http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/astronomy/stars/ constellations.shtml ] of the Hunting Dogs (Canes Venatici), this celestial nebula was discovered [ http://www.seds.org/messier/Mdes/dm106.html ] in 1781 by the metric [ http://www.britannica.com/eb/article?eu=52982 ] French astronomer Pierre Mechain [ http://www.seds.org/messier/xtra/history/ pmechain.html ]. Later, it was added to the catalog of his friend and colleague Charles Messier as M106 [ http://www.seds.org/messier/m/m106.html ]. Modern deep telescopic views reveal it to be an island universe [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020518.html ] -- a spiral galaxy around 30 thousand light-years across located only about 21 million light-years beyond the stars of the Milky Way. Youthful blue star clusters and reddish stellar nurseries trace the striking spiral arms of M106. Seen so clearly in this beautiful image [ http://www.noao.edu/outreach/aop/observers/m106.html ], the galaxy's bright core is also visible across the spectrum [ http://coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu/cosmic_classroom/ multiwavelength_astronomy/multiwavelength_astronomy/ ] from radio to x-rays, making M106 a nearby example of the Seyfert class [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap981023.html ] of active galaxies. The bright core of a Seyfert galaxy is believed to be powered by matter falling into a massive central black hole [ http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr162/lect/active/ smblack.html ]. |
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