NGC4631 NGC4627 NGC4656 NGC4657

Capture

Seestar s50 322 stacks

Date

13 July 2026

Location

Camden, NSW

Original

1737 × 3088 px

NGC 4631 is a barred spiral galaxy in the constellation Canes Venatici, seen edge on from Earth and is about 30 million light years away. Nickname "The Whale Galaxy" because of its wedge-like shape that resembles a whale. Apparent magnitude 9.8. NGC 4627 is a dwarf elliptical galaxy and lies about 30 million light years away from Earth. NGC 4631 and NGC 4627 are part of the NGC 4631 Group, a group of galaxies that also includes the interacting galaxies NGC 4656 and NGC 4657. Apparent magnitude 13.1. NGC 4656, the Hockey Stick, also known as the Crowbar Galaxy, is a highly warped barred spiral galaxy about 30 million light years away. Apparent magnitude together with NGC 4657 11.0. NGC 4657 is classified as a peculiar barred spiral. The status of NGC 4657 is debated. It appears as a bright, compact 'knot' at the northern tip of NGC 4656. Some consider it a separate, interacting dwarf companion, while surface photometry studies suggest it is actually an intensely star-forming region within the warped disk of NGC 4656 itself.

See it in the galaxies gallery