Ron's View Of The Universe
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NGC 4631 (also known as the Whale Galaxy or Caldwell 32) is a barred spiral galaxy in the constellation Canes Venatici about 30 million light years away from Earth. It was discovered on 20 March 1787 by German-British astronomer William Herschel. This galaxy's slightly distorted wedge shape gives it the appearance of a herring or a whale, hence its nickname. Because this nearby galaxy is seen edge-on from Earth, professional astronomers observe this galaxy to better understand the gas and stars located outside the plane of the galaxy. NGC 4631 and NGC 4656 make up the NGC 4631 Group. A luminous blue variable in "super-outburst" was discovered in NGC 4656/57 on March 21, 2005.
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