M106
When I obtained my Esprit 120 refractor I jumped at the chance to once again image one of my favorite deep space targets - M106. This sweeping spiral galaxy features an active, feeding super-massive black hole at its core. That in itself is not unusual - what is unusual is its size - some 30 million times the mass of our sun. Because M106 is rather close to earth (relatively speaking) at some 25 million light years it lends itself to the scrutiny of earthbound astronomers eager to unlock its secrets.
In the upper left of this image lies galaxy NGC 4217. It is an edge on spiral galaxy about 60 million light years from earth. Many other galaxies can be seen in this image including NGC 4248, 4231, 4232 and 4226.
OTA: Skywatcher Esprit 120
Camera: Atik 460ex w/EFW2 filter wheel
Filters: Astrodon LRGB Gen2 E series
Mount: AP Mach 1
Exposure: L:R:G:B 354:90:90:90 (m)
Data obtained: Feb 26/ Apr 22, 2017