NGC 4631: The Whale Galaxy — A Cosmic Leviathan in Canes Venatici

Some galaxies reward us with elegant face-on spirals, their arms spread like the petals of a cosmic flower. Others give us something stranger — a distorted, edge-on silhouette that sparks the imagination. NGC 4631, better known as the Whale Galaxy, is firmly in the second camp. NGC 4631 — 69 exposures over three nights. Click [ ]