NGC 4656

Alt. Designations: NGC 4656
Object Type: barred spiral galaxy
Constellation: Canes Venatici
Distance: 30 mly
Right Ascension: 12h 43m 58.1s
Declination: +32° 10´ 11"
Visual Magnitude: 10.1
Apparent Dimension: 15.3´ X 2.4´
Best Month To View: Apr

NGC 4656 is the "disturbed" neighbor to NGC 4631. The gravitational tug-of-war warps the disk of this galaxy. The nearness of the galaxy (perhaps 25 million light years away) allows small knotted star forming regions to be resolved. There are also quite a few background galaxies in the picture.