The Whale and the Hockey Stick (APOD 2009 August 21)

[neufer]

Explanation: The Whale's dark interstellar dust clouds, yellowish core, and young blue star clusters are easy to spot. A companion galaxy, the small elliptical NGC 4627, appears above the Whale Galaxy.

• Diving beneath the [Pequod] , the whale ran quivering along its keel; but turning under water, swiftly shot to the surface again, far off the other bow, but within a few yards of Ahab's boat.

Explanation: At the lower left is another distorted galaxy, the hockey stick-shaped NGC 4656. The distortions and mingling trails of gas detected at other wavelengths suggest that all three galaxies have had close encounters with each other in their past.

• With this once long lance, now wildly elbowed, fifty years ago did Nathan Swain kill fifteen whales between a sunrise and a sunset. And that harpoon--so like a corkscrew now--was flung in Javan seas, and run away with by a whale, years afterward slain off the Cape of Blanco. The original iron entered nigh the tail, and, like a restless needle sojourning in the body of a man, travelled full forty feet, and at last was found imbedded in the hump.

Explanation: The Whale Galaxy is also known to have spouted a halo of hot gas glowing in x-rays.

[orin stepanek]

The whale name fits; but the other doesn't look like a hokey stick to me. If the small elliptical were a little closer to the whale's head it could pass as a waterspout from the whales blowhole.

Orin

[BMAONE23]

I believe the Hocky Stick is only apparent in the brightest region of the galaxy in question

[toejam]

The whale name fits; but the other doesn't look like a hokey stick to me. If the small elliptical were a little closer to the whale's head it could pass as a waterspout from the whales blowhole.

Orin

Looks a little like a field hockey stick.