Meet NGC 4631— the “Whale Galaxy” — drifting through the cosmos instead of the sea. 🐋 This edge-on view of this spiral galaxy allows astronomers to study how flat the stellar disk is and provide the clearest views of material located above or below the disk.

Oct 16, 2026 · 3:45 PM UTC

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Replying to @NASA_Marshall
A whale you say 🤔
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Replying to @NASA_Marshall
this looks like aeon IX from honkai star rail 😮
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Replying to @NASA_Marshall
Captain Ahab is foaming at the mouth rn
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Replying to @NASA_Marshall
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Replying to @NASA_Marshall
IM A WHALE IM A BIG FAT WHALE
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Replying to @NASA_Marshall
This is Amazing, can you try to imagine Our Fathers Kingdom!
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Replying to @NASA_Marshall
Ah yes, the secret Mario Galaxy level, the Whale Galaxy
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Replying to @NASA_Marshall
the whale galaxy and i have the same approach to staying in one lane
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Replying to @NASA_Marshall
Edge-on is the perfect angle for this: you can see how thin the disk is and the hazy gas and dust above and below it. NGC 4631 is roughly 25-30 million light-years away, and tidal tugs from its neighbors help pull that material out of the plane.
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Replying to @NASA_Marshall
The universe is an ocean <333
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Replying to @NASA_Marshall
ITS THEM
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Replying to @NASA_Marshall
You mean Skirk’s pet??
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Replying to @NASA_Marshall
Very AMAZING.
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Replying to @NASA_Marshall
綺麗ね。
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Replying to @NASA_Marshall
🐳
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Replying to @NASA_Marshall
😳🤩🤩
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Replying to @NASA_Marshall
Edge on galaxies are so underrated. The Whale has this huge halo of hot gas puffing out above and below the disk from all the star formation inside. From far enough away you'd almost think it was breathing
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Replying to @NASA_Marshall
😲😲😲
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Replying to @NASA_Marshall
😍🥰🖖
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Replying to @NASA_Marshall
Where's the turtle galaxy
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Replying to @NASA_Marshall
Have you seen this yet @shachimu ?
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Replying to @NASA_Marshall
Pengen aku share ke dia, pasti bakal suka ini galaxy paus
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Replying to @NASA_Marshall
Good vibes ✨💫
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Replying to @NASA_Marshall
A whale swimming through a sea of stars, 30 million light-years away. Best galaxy nickname out there 🐋✨
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Replying to @NASA_Marshall
🎶👏🌟🌝🛰🚀🛸🛎🌞🌟👏🎶
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Replying to @NASA_Marshall
That edge-on perspective really does make it look like something swimming through space. Love how it gives a clear view of the halo material above and below the disk.
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Replying to @NASA_Marshall
!🌌🐋+MAGNIFIQUE+🐋🌌!😍🥰😘😍🥰😘😍
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Replying to @NASA_Marshall
@grok que telescopio capto esa imagen y en que longitud de onda
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Replying to @NASA_Marshall
The Whale Galaxy is a perfect name for it. Seeing a spiral edge-on like that makes it easy to picture how thin those disks really are.
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