Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Canes Venatici (CVn)  ·  Contains:  NGC 4627  ·  NGC 4631  ·  NGC 4656  ·  NGC 4657
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Whale and Crowbar Galaxies (NGC 4631 and 4657), urmymuse
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Whale and Crowbar Galaxies (NGC 4631 and 4657)

Getting plate-solving status, please wait...
Whale and Crowbar Galaxies (NGC 4631 and 4657), urmymuse
Powered byPixInsight

Whale and Crowbar Galaxies (NGC 4631 and 4657)

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Description

NGC 4631 (also known as the Whale Galaxy or Caldwell 32) is a barred spiral galaxy in the constellation Canes Venatici. This galaxy's slightly distorted wedge shape gives it the appearance of a herring or a whale, hence its nickname.Because this nearby galaxy is seen edge-on from Earth, professional astronomers observe this galaxy to better understand the gas and stars located outside the plane of the galaxy

Distance 30 million light years

NGC 4656/57 is a highly warped barred spiral galaxy located in the constellation Canes Venatici and is sometimes informally called the Hockey Stick Galaxies or the Crowbar Galaxy. The galaxy is a member of the NGC 4631 Group. A Luminous Blue Variable in "super-outburst" was discovered in NGC 4656/57 on March 21, 2005.

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Whale and Crowbar Galaxies (NGC 4631 and 4657), urmymuse