Messier 106

Messier 106, between 22 and 25 million light years from Earth. It is 135,000 light years in diameter, about 35% larger than the Milky Way. Discovered in 1781 by Pierre Méchain, M106 contains about 400 billion stars. One of the unique features of M106 is its "anomalous arms," which are faint, additional spiral arms that do not align with the main spiral structure. These arms are believed to be regions of intense hydrogen emission and are thought to be associated with the galaxy's immense central black hole.