Astronomy Picture of the Day · January 23, 2004

NGC 4631: The Whale Galaxy

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for January 23, 2004 is “NGC 4631: The Whale Galaxy,” an image. It is credited to Credit: Diane Zeiders, Adam Block ( KPNO Visitor Program ), NOAO , AURA , NSF. The original explanation runs about 166 words.

From the explanation

“NGC 4631 is a big beautiful spiral galaxy seen edge-on only 25 million light-years away towards the small northern constellation Canes Venatici . This galaxy’s slightly distorted wedge shape suggests to some a cosmic herring and to others the popular moniker of The Whale Galaxy.”

— APOD editors, January 23, 2004

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date: January 23, 2004
Type: Image
Credit: Credit: Diane Zeiders, Adam Block ( KPNO Visitor Program ), NOAO , AURA , NSF
Copyright: No copyright notice on the entry. Check the credited institution’s own usage rules before reusing it.
Explanation length: About 166 words

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Topics in this entry

Galaxies

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: January 23 in other years

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Source

Astronomy Picture of the Day, January 23, 2004 — science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2004-january-23-ngc-4631-the-whale-galaxy

Copy taken Oct 28, 2026, 2:39 AM EDT. The image and explanation belong to their creators. OpenOrbit is not affiliated with or endorsed by NASA.