Hoag's Object

Hoag's Object is an unusual ring galaxy in the constellation of Serpens Caput. It is named after Arthur Hoag, who discovered it in 1950 and identified it as either a planetary nebula or a peculiar galaxy. The galaxy has approximately eight billion stars, and is roughly 120,000 light years across.

Hoag's Object
Hoag's Object, taken by the Hubble Space Telescope in July 2001
Observation data (J2000 epoch)
ConstellationSerpens Caput
Right ascension15h 17m 14.4s
Declination+21° 35 08
Redshift12740±50 km/s
Distance612.8±9.4 Mly (187.9±2.9 Mpc)[a]
Apparent magnitude (B)16.2
Characteristics
Type(RP)E0 or (RP)SA0/a
Size121±4 kly in diameter
Apparent size (V)0.28′ × 0.28′
Notable featuresRing galaxy
Other designations
PGC 54559, PRC D-51
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