The Whale Galaxy in Canes Venatici

By: Steve-Pastor July 13, 2018 0

<< Back to gallery

Photographer:

Steve Pastor

Location of Photo:

Mayhill, NM

Date/Time of photo:

8, 15, 16 May 2018

Equipment:

12.5 inch RCOS f/9 astrograph operating at f/6 (Astro-Physics CCDT067 reducer) mounted on a Paramount ME

Description:

NGC 4631 is found in the constellation Canes Venatici. The wedge-shape of this galaxy gives rise to its nickname, the Whale Galaxy. The starburst regions of this galaxy can be seen in the photo, which are due to intensive star formation. Tidal interactions of NGC 4627, which is seen just above NGC 4631, has been suggested as one of the reasons for the active core of NGC 4631 (as well as tidal interactions with other nearby galaxies). The small edge-on galaxy at the top of the image is PGC 3794315 (NASA Extragalactic Database).