SUNSET: 
0
Photographer:
Rod Pommier
Location of Photo:
Pommier Observatory, Portland, OR, USA
Date/Time of photo:
2024-04-10 through 2024-04-17
Equipment:
PlaneWave CDK17 on L500 mount, SBIG STL 11000 CCD camera with Baader Planetarium H-alpha, L, R, G, and B filters
Description:
NGC 4631 in Canes Venatici is known as The Whale Galaxy because its profile uncannily resembles that of a large baleen whale, complete with pectoral fin, a bright emission nebula for an eye, and a fluke-shaped tail.It has a companion dwarf galaxy, NGC 4627, just above it which is often called the pup, even though everyone knows a baby whale is called a calf. The center of the galaxy is a region of intense star formation, probably as a result of gravitational interaction between the them. NGC 4631 is believed to be a barred spiral galaxy viewed edge-on. The distance to the galaxies is about 30 million light-years. Exposures: Ha:L:R:G:B =75:75:130:130:125 minutes = 8 hours, 55 minutes total exposure at f/6.8, all completely unguided.
