NGC 4656/57 is a highly warped

barred spiral galaxy A barred spiral galaxy is a spiral galaxy with a central bar-shaped structure composed of stars. Bars are found in about two thirds of all spiral galaxies, and generally affect both the motions of stars and interstellar gas within spiral galaxi ...

located in the

constellation A constellation is an area on the celestial sphere in which a group of visible stars forms Asterism (astronomy), a perceived pattern or outline, typically representing an animal, mythological subject, or inanimate object. The origins of the e ...

Canes Venatici Canes Venatici () is one of the IAU designated constellations, 88 constellations designated by the International Astronomical Union (IAU). It is a small northern constellation that was created by Johannes Hevelius in the 17th century. Its name is ...

and is sometimes informally called the Hockey Stick Galaxies or the Crowbar Galaxy. Its unusual shape is thought to be due to an interaction between NGC 4656,

NGC 4631 NGC 4631 (also known as the Whale Galaxy or Caldwell 32) is a barred spiral galaxy in the constellation Canes Venatici. This galaxy's slightly distorted wedge shape gives it the appearance of a herring or a whale, hence its nickname. Because t ...

, and NGC 4627. The galaxy is a member of the

NGC 4631 Group The NGC 4631 Group is a poorly defined group of galaxies, about 25 million light-years from Earth in the Coma Berenices and Canes Venatici constellations. The NGC 4631 Group is one of many that lie within the Virgo Supercluster. Members *spira ...

. A Luminous Blue Variable in "super-outburst" was discovered in NGC 4656/57 on March 21, 2005. The Hockey Stick Galaxy

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Hockey Stick (NGC 4656)

– NGC 4656 {{DEFAULTSORT:NGC 4656 and NGC 4657 Canes Venatici NGC 4631 Group 4656 07907 42863 Interacting galaxies Barred spiral galaxies

See also

References

External links