Sunday, June 10, 2012

Hoag's Object

Hoag's Object, a ring galaxy 600,000 light yrs away, with another ring galaxy visible through the gap.

Hoag's Object is a non-typical galaxy of the type known as a ring galaxy.

The appearance of this object has interested amateur astronomers as much as its uncommon structure has fascinated professionals.

The galaxy is named after Arthur Allen Hoag who discovered it in 1950 and identified it as either a planetary nebula or a peculiar galaxy with 8 billion stars.

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