NGC 4631 THE WHALE GALAXY
NGC
4631
(also
known
as
the
Whale
Galaxy
or
Caldwell
32)
is
a
barred
spiral
galaxy
in
the
constellation
Canes
Venatici.
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
contains
a
central
starburst,
which
is
a
region
of
intense
star
formation.
The
strong
star
formation
is
evident
in
the
emission
from
ionized
hydrogen[4]
and
interstellar
dust
heated
by
the
stars formed in the starburst.
The
most
massive
stars
that
form
in
star
formation
regions
only
burn
hydrogen
gas
through
fusion
for
a
short
period
of
time,
after
which
they
explode
as
supernovae.
So
many
supernovae
have
exploded
in
the
center
of
NGC
4631
that
they
are
blowing
gas
out
of
the
plane
of
the
galaxy.
This
superwind
can
be
seen
in
X-rays
and in spectral line emission.
NGC 4631 THE WHALE GALAXY
Place: Ager-Lleida-Spain
SQM: 21.6
Dates: April. 2018
Details
Telescope: AS-RC380 f/8.5 df:3200 mm
Mount: ASA DDM85
Camera: Moravian G3-11002
Focuser: Feather touch
Flattener: 70 mm
Exposure: L: 32x900 sec bin1
RGB: Taken from Miguel Ángel
García Borrella (Thank you my friend)
Processing: Pixinsight & Photoshop CC
Software: MaximDL, Sequence,Autoslew
Control Remote: Talon6