From Wikipedia: "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.[3] 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. NGC 4631 contains a central starburst, which is a region of intense star formation. The strong star formation is evident in the emission from ionized hydrogen[4] and interstellar dust heated by the stars formed in the starburst.[5] The most massive stars that form in star formation regions only burn hydrogen gas through fusion for a short period of time, after which they explode as supernovae. So many supernovae have exploded in the center of NGC 4631 that they are blowing gas out of the plane of the galaxy. This superwind can be seen in X-rays[6] and in spectral line emission.[4] The gas from this superwind has produced a giant, diffuse corona of hot, X-ray emitting gas around the whole galaxy."
I have imaged this photogenic pairing a couple of times and the edge-on view through the Whales's dusty disc is intriguing. Enhancing the data with Ha (&the LRGB) from an older image taken from my home observatory (
https://www.astrobin.com/346010/B/?image_list_page=3&nc=&nce=) along with has shown the starburst activity. This galaxy may be a great candidate to image with the TEC another year . . .
Data acquisition: Barry Wilson & Steve Milne
Processing: Barry Wilson
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