101 Must-See Cosmic Objects: M106

The challenges of observing spiral structure in galaxies are many. The two most important considerations are the brightness of the arms and the gaps or distance between them. High-contrast arms are easier to observe in detail with smaller telescopes. And sometimes a galaxy with fewer arms — such as a barred spiral, which often has two — presents clearer arm structure than a galaxy with many arms.

One such barred spiral is M106, located roughly midway between Beta (β) Canum Ven