This image may not be used to state or imply NOAO endorsement of any company or product Spiral galaxy NGC 4631. Coloured optical image of the edge-on

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This image may not be used to state or imply NOAO endorsement of any company or product Spiral galaxy NGC 4631. Coloured optical image of the edge-on spiral galaxy NGC 4631, one of the largest spiral galaxies known. It lies around 27 million light years from Earth in the constellation Canes Venatici, The Hunting Dogs. It is also known as the Whale or Herring galaxy. The fuzzy glow at upper centre is the small companion galaxy NGC 4627. This elliptical galaxy orbits NGC 4631 and is thought to be slightly distorting it. This image was taken by the 4-metre telescope at the Kitt Peak National Observatory, USA.

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Size: 3552px × 2756px
Photo credit: © NATIONAL OPTICAL ASTRONOMY OBSERVATORIES/COLOURED BY SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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