| Description | This is a large, relatively bright target which is fun to capture. Arp categorizes this as a galaxy "with infall and attraction", where the most obvious sign is the small galaxy NGC 4627. This appears to the right of the whale, just below center. The "Whale" appears to be an unusually thick spiral galaxy viewed edge-on, with no obvious, additional bulge in the center. There is a small bump towards the top left of the galaxy (the whale's "head") which may be evidence of a prior infall. The Oxford online dictionary defines "infall" this way: "the falling of small objects or other matter on to or into a larger body". This is as close as Arp gets to the concept of "merger", though infall implicitly excludes the notion of peer galaxies coming together. Arp notes, "Diffuse counter tail on companion [NGC 4627]". It's not clearly visible on the color images, but shows up (semi-distinctly) on the inverted rendering (and, of course, is very clear in Arp's). |
