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

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NGC 4631 Whale Galaxy, rdhand
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NGC 4631 Whale Galaxy

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Description

NGC 4631 is a barred spiral galaxy called the Whale Galaxy. This galaxy's slightly distorted wedge shape gives it the appearance of a whale, hence its nickname.  NGC 4631 contains a central starburst region of intense star formation. The strong star formation is evident in the red emission from ionized hydrogen.  Just above the Whale in the photo is NGC 4727 a small companion elliptical galaxy called the Pup.  They are about 25 million light-years distant.

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  • NGC 4631 Whale Galaxy, rdhand
    Original
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    NGC 4631 Whale Galaxy, rdhand
    B

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NGC 4631 Whale Galaxy, rdhand

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