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NGC 4631

CVe

• Luminance
• Red
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• 21 x 900 sec - 5 hours 15min
• 9x 900 sec - 2 hour 15min
• 9 x 900 sec - 2 hour 15min
• 9 x 900 sec - 2 hour 15min

• UNBINNED
• BINNING 2x2
• BINNING 2x2
• BINNING 2x2

NGC 4631 (also known as C 32 or nicknamed the Whale Galaxy) is a large spiral galaxy in the constellation of Canes Venatici.

It is located 4.5 degrees NE of the star γ Comae Berenices; in small instruments it appears as a long bright trail (in the image it is the one on the right). Telescopes with an aperture of 200 mm show that the bulge is slightly off-center, and is crossed by a thin strip of dark and irregular nebulosity; to the north we can see the small elliptical galaxy NGC 4627. It is one of the largest and closest known edge-oriented spirals: its distance from the Milky Way is estimated to be around 12 million light-years, which makes it one of the giant spirals closest to our Local Group.
NGC 4631 gives its name to the NGC 4631 Group, a group of galaxies that includes, among others, its companion dwarf elliptical galaxy NGC 4627 and the interacting galaxies NGC 4656 and NGC 4657.