Whale Galaxy

A starburst galaxy 25 million light years from the Milky Way, the Whale Galaxy is named after a large Earth sea mammal. Also known as NGC 4631, the galaxy is about 140 thousand light years in diameter, slightly larger than the Milky Way galaxy – and with a completely different shape, as seen from our perspective.

The galaxy was named by UCP astronomers because it has a profile resembling an Earth whale spouting water from its blowhole. The visual impression is actually the close passing of a small companion galaxy. Its gravitational influence compressed vast clouds of gas and dust within the larger galaxy’s central region thus inciting a riotous burst of hot, new stars. The radiation released from these new suns also created a superbubble of material that now surrounds the galaxy like an ever-expanding shell. Presumably, once the companion pulls further from the Whale, the star burst event will eventually quiesce.