Description:
NGC 4631, also known as the Whale Galaxy, is a striking edge-on spiral galaxy located in the constellation Canes Venatici, about 30 million light-years from Earth.
Its elongated shape and slightly warped disk give it the appearance of a whale, especially in wide-field images. The distortion is likely due to gravitational interactions with nearby galaxies, particularly the small elliptical galaxy NGC 4627, which is often referred to as its companion.
NGC 4631 is rich in gas and dust, with regions of active star formation and bright clusters visible along its disk. It also emits strongly in radio and X-ray wavelengths, indicating a hot halo of gas surrounding it, a sign of energetic processes like stellar winds and supernovae.
NGC 4656 and NGC 4657 are a pair of interacting galaxies in the constellation Canes Venatici, located about 25 million light-years away. Together, they form a distorted, curved shape often called the Hockey Stick Galaxy.
NGC 4656 is a barred spiral galaxy stretched and warped by gravitational interactions. NGC 4657, found at one end of it, is either a small companion galaxy or a bright star-forming region caused by the same tidal forces.