Space Walk: The Whale, Hockey Stick, and Mice Galaxies

In the constellation Canes Venatici, the Whale Galaxy (NGC 4631) is similar in size to the Milky Way and is seen edge on, giving the appearance of a whale. A satellite elliptical galaxy, NGC 4627, is known as the Pup, because it hovers close to the Whale. Very close by is another interestingly shaped galaxy, The Hockey Stick, NGC 4656. Nearby, in Coma Berenices, we'll also hunt down a pair of interacting galaxies that are much more difficult to spot, but equally fascinating: NGC 4676, named the Mice because of the tails formed by their tidal interactions. The Mice are about 10 times farther away from us than the Whale, Pup, and Hockey Stick.

Link to the mp3 audio file. Download the file to the device you will be using to listen to it in the field.

The Whale, Hockey Stick, and Mice Space Walk Among the Stars - audio

Images of the Whale and Pup, Hockey Stick, and Mice taken by amateur astronomers.

Charts to accompany the Space Walk. Review these prior to observing with your telescope.

Chart 1: Finding the general area in the sky. 

Chart 2: The Objects. The chart is 5 degrees wide.

This wide field image shows the Whale (NGC 4631), NGC 4656 (the Hockey Stick), and NGC 4676 (the Mice). Hold your cursor over the image to see the labels (make sure "plate solution overlay" at the top is turned on).

Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) image of the Whale (NGC 4631) and Pup (NGC 4627). North is up:

SDSS image of the Hockey Stick (NGC 4656). North is up:

SDSS image of the Mice (NGC 4676 A and B). North is up: