Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Canes Venatici (CVn)  ·  Contains:  NGC 4627  ·  NGC 4631  ·  NGC 4656  ·  NGC 4657  ·  Whale Galaxy
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Whale Galaxy, jewzaam
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Whale Galaxy

Getting plate-solving status, please wait...
Whale Galaxy, jewzaam
Powered byPixInsight

Whale Galaxy

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Description

At 30 million light years from Earth, the photons collected to make the picture of NGC4631 (the Whale Galaxy)started their journey in the later half of the Rupelian age. The beginning of the Rupelian age, named for the Belgium river Rupel, saw the formation of the first Antarctic permanent ice-sheets.

On geologic timelines...

* the Rupelian age is in the Oligocene epoch

* the Oligocene epoch is part of the Paleogene period

* the Paleogene period is in the Cenozoic era

* and the Cenozoic era is part of the Phanerozoic eon

The Cenozoic era is the current era and we are in the:

* Quaternary period (-2.6 million years to present)

* Holocene epoch (-12 thousand years to present)

* Meghalayan age (-4.2 thousand years to present)

But the Anthropocene epoch is proposed to begin in 1950 to mark the impact of humans on Earth's geology and ecosystems. As of March 2021 this has not been approved so technically we're still in the Meghalayan age / Holocene epoch?

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Whale Galaxy, jewzaam