NGC 4656 · galaxy

Hockey Stick Galaxies

NGC 4656/57 is a highly warped edge-on barred spiral galaxy located in the local universe 30 million light years away from Earth in the constellation Canes Venatici.

RA12h 43m 57sDec+32° 10' 05"

Image: Chuck Ayoub. CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Identity & coordinates

Identification

Primary designation: NGC 4656
All designations: NGC 4656 · Hockey Stick Galaxies
Object type: Galaxy
Constellation: Canes Venatici
Best viewing: Spring

Coordinates & physical

Right ascension (J2000): 12h 43m 57s
Declination (J2000): +32° 10' 05"
Apparent magnitude (V): —
Distance: —
Redshift (z): 0.002155

III

Visibility tonight

The science

NGC 4656/57 is a highly warped edge-on barred spiral galaxy located in the local universe 30 million light years away from Earth in the constellation Canes Venatici. This galaxy is sometimes called the Hockey Stick Galaxy or the Crowbar Galaxy. Its unusual shape is thought to be due to an interaction between NGC 4656, NGC 4631, and NGC 4627. The galaxy is a member of the NGC 4631 Group.

Summary adapted from Wikipedia · CC-BY-SA-4.0