#ngc 4627

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The Whale Galaxy, NGC 4631 // Claire Bradshaw

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The Whale Galaxy (NGC 4631, large) and NGC 4627 (small) // ANDREJ Petrovcic

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The Whale Galaxy, NGC 4631 // Lance Kannard

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The Whale Galaxy, NGC 4631 // Tom Bash

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The Whale Galaxy (NGC 4631, left) and the Crowbar Galaxy (NGC 4656, right) // Philippe Rocaboy

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The Whale Galaxy, C32 // Brian Diaz

This barred spiral galaxy is located about 30 million light years away in the direction of Canes Venatici, the Hunting Dogs. One of the many Caldwell objects discovered by William Herschel (1738-1822), the galaxy's slightly distorted wedge shape gives it the appearance of a whale, thus the nickname "The Whale Galaxy" (NGC 4631).

The Whale Galaxy has a nearby dwarf elliptical companion galaxy, NGC 4627. The two are interacting, with the companion only 25,000 light years away from the Whale Galaxy.

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The Whale Galaxy (C32, upper right) and the Crowbar Galaxy (NGC 4656/57, lower left) // Carl Crum

Located close to the Whale Galaxy and indeed part of the same galaxy group is the Crowbar Galaxy (NGC 4656/57) an interacting pair of galaxies that are themselves interacting with the Whale Galaxy.

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The Crowbar Galaxy (NGC 4656, lower left), the Whale Galaxy (NGC 4631, upper right), and NGC 4627 (above the Whale) // Andy Palmer