Whale Galaxy (NGC 4631)

Whale Galaxy (NGC 4631) — galaxy, explore its interactive 3D model in Cosmoscope.

Explore Whale Galaxy (NGC 4631) in an interactive 3D view of space. See its catalogue position, distance and astronomical facts.

A long, slightly bent edge-on disc that really does look like a whale, with a glowing halo of hot gas above it and a small dwarf companion riding alongside.

Type

Edge-on barred spiral

Distance

24 million light-years

Note

Warped like a whale by a passing companion

Explore Whale Galaxy (NGC 4631) in 3D

Whale Galaxy (NGC 4631) is placed in three-dimensional space using catalogue coordinates and an adopted astronomical distance. Rotate and zoom to explore the model. Stellar surfaces, gas structure and dust depths may be reconstructed or illustrative, as described in its facts; this is not live imagery from a telescope.