Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Canes Venatici (CVn)  ·  Contains:  NGC 4627  ·  NGC 4631  ·  NGC 4656  ·  NGC 4657  ·  Whale Galaxy
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The Whale and Hockey Stick - HaLRGB, James E.
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The Whale and Hockey Stick - HaLRGB

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The Whale and Hockey Stick - HaLRGB, James E.
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The Whale and Hockey Stick - HaLRGB

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Description

The Whale Galaxy (NGC 4631) is an edge-on barred spiral about 30 million light years away in Canes Venatici.  It contains a central starburst region as evidenced in the emission from ionized hydrogen and abundance of interstellar dust.  So many supernova have exploded in the center of the galaxy that a galactic  superwind has been created which produces a giant, diffuse corona of hot X-ray emitting gas around the entire galaxy.  NGC 4627 is a nearby companion dwarf elliptical galaxy.

The Hockey Stick Galaxy (NGC 4656) is a member of the NGC 4631 group.  It's a highly warped barred spiral structure is thought to be due to an interaction with the Whale Galaxy.

Imaged over several nights:   Jan  4, 8, 14, 15; Feb 1, 2022.

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The Whale and Hockey Stick - HaLRGB, James E.