NGC 4656 and NGC 4657

NGC 4656/57 is a highly warped edge-on^[3] barred spiral galaxy located in the local universe 30 million light years away from Earth in the constellation Canes Venatici.^[4] 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.^[5] The galaxy is a member of the NGC 4631 Group.

NGC 4656/7
NGC 4656/7. Credit: Scott Anttila.
Observation data (J2000 epoch)
Constellation	Canes Venatici[1]
Right ascension	12h 43m 57.7s[2]
Declination	+32° 10′ 05″[2]
Redshift	646 km/s[2]
Apparent magnitude (V)	11.0[2]
Characteristics
Type	SB(s)m pec[2]
Size	78,500 ly
Apparent size (V)	12.9′[2]
Notable features	similar to SMC
Other designations
UGC 7907,[2] PGC 42863,[2] Hockey Stick Galaxies, Crowbar Galaxy

A luminous blue variable in "super-outburst" was discovered in NGC 4656/57 on March 21, 2005.^[6]

Close up Hubble image of the galaxy

See also

• Antennae Galaxies