Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Canes Venatici (CVn)  ·  Contains:  NGC 4627  ·  NGC 4631  ·  NGC 4656
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The Whale, pup and Hockey Stick, Steven Bellavia
The Whale, pup and Hockey Stick
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The Whale, pup and Hockey Stick

Getting plate-solving status, please wait...
The Whale, pup and Hockey Stick, Steven Bellavia
The Whale, pup and Hockey Stick
Powered byPixInsight

The Whale, pup and Hockey Stick

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Description

NGC 4631 (also known as the Whale Galaxy, or Caldwell 32) is an edge-on spiral galaxy in the constellation Canes Venatici. This galaxy's slightly distorted wedge shape gives it the appearance of a whale, hence its nickname. NGC 4631 has a nearby companion dwarf elliptical galaxy, NGC 4627. Sometimes referred to as "the pup" (even though a baby whale is a "calf"). NGC 4627 and NGC 4631 together were listed in the Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies as an example of a "double galaxy" or a galaxy pair. NGC 4631 and NGC 4627 are part of the NGC 4631 Group, a group of galaxies that also includes the interacting galaxies NGC 4656 and NGC 4657 (The "Hockey Stick" or "Crowbar"). The actual members of the group is currently undetermined, and is estimated to have 5 to 27 galaxies, all approximately 30 million light-years away.

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The Whale, pup and Hockey Stick, Steven Bellavia

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