M106 LRGB

M106 is located approximately 2° south of the star 3 Canum Venaticorum, a fifth-magnitude star located a few degrees southeast of Phecda, the latter part of the Big Dipper asterism. Thanks to its brightness, it is easily visible even with 10x50 binoculars, provided the night is favorable, where it appears as an ovoid-shaped spot. A small amateur telescope is able to reveal the brighter nucleus, while instruments with an aperture of 150-200mm are the minimum required to identify certain details such as the irregular brightness of the halo and the spiral arms.[1]

Its declination is very northern: in fact, this galaxy appears circumpolar from much of the Northern Hemisphere, such as much of Europe and part of North America; from the Southern Hemisphere, however, it can be observed down to medium temperate latitudes.[2] The best time to observe it in the northern sky is between January and August.