NGC 4631(Caldwell 32) & NGC 4656 – The Whale and Hockey Stick Galaxies

A Whale (left) lurks in Canes Venatici roughly 25 million light years away. Larger than our Milky Way Galaxy (100,000 light years in diameter), the Whale Galaxy is about 140,000 light years in diameter. We are viewing it edge-on in this image, so we cannot see the extent of its spiral arms.

The Whale is interacting gravitationally with its smaller companion, the elliptical galaxy NGC 4627. This interaction has triggered prolific star formation in the Whale.

The Hockey Stick Galaxy (right) has been distorted due to its gravitational interaction with the Whale. Ultimately, the two may merge into a single galaxy. Scientists think that the faint dusty object below and slightly to the left of the Hockey Stick Galaxy may be a separate dwarf galaxy.