M-106 (NGC-4258) is a type SAB intermediate galaxy located in the constellation of Canes Venatici (The Hunting Dogs). It is 24 million light years from Earth and is 135,000 light years in diameter. It was discovered by Pierre Mechain in 181. M-106 contains an active nucleus classified as a Type 2 Seyfert, which contains a supermassive black hole. It is one of the largest and brightest galaxies in the Local Group, similar in size and luminosity to M-31 the great Andromeda Galaxy.
This image, acquired on April 8, 2019, is a 1 hour integration of 6 minute exposures through the Celestron C-11 at f/2, using the HyperStar III imaging system and the Starlight Express SXVR-H694C color CCD camera, operating at -10 degrees below ambient temperature and binned 1 X 1. Guided, captured and combined using Maxim DL5 Pro. Post processed using PhotoShop CS2, Gradient XTerminator, StarShrink, Carboni's Astro Tools and NoiseWare.