Observer's guide
About Whale Galaxy
Whale Galaxy (C32) is catalogued as a galaxy in Canes Venatici. Its J2000 position is RA 12:42:08, Dec +32:32:29, corresponding to 190.5334 degrees RA and 32.5415 degrees Dec. The local catalogue places it about 22,000,000 light-years away. Its referenced angular extent is approximately 16.56 by 3.14 arcminutes.
Observing tips
This is rated as a hard target at magnitude 9.8. It is associated with spring observing, with midnight placement typically strongest around March. From 52 degrees north its theoretical meridian altitude is about 70.5 degrees; local horizons and the live altitude chart determine the practical window.
Because it is faint, use a larger aperture where possible, avoid bright Moon conditions, and use averted vision.
What to expect
The SIMBAD classification for the matched source is GiC. SIMBAD records the morphology as S. A published radial velocity value is 601 km/s. The SIMBAD record currently connects it to 1160 bibliographic references.
At roughly 16.6 arcminutes across, it benefits from a narrower field and adequate image scale. Use the listed 16.56 by 3.14 arcminute extent to check framing, and treat catalogue magnitude as integrated brightness rather than a direct measure of visual contrast.