Hoag's Object
| Hoag's Object | |
|---|---|
Hoag's Object, taken by the Hubble Space Telescope in July 2001 | |
| Observation data (J2000 epoch) | |
| Constellation | Serpens Caput |
| Right ascension | 15h 17m 14.4s |
| Declination | +21° 35′ 08″ |
| Redshift | 12740±50 km/s |
| Distance | 612.8±9.4 Mly (187.9±2.9 Mpc)[a] |
| Apparent magnitude (B) | 16.2 |
| Characteristics | |
| Type | (RP)E0 or (RP)SA0/a |
| Size | 48.89 kiloparsecs (159,000 light-years) |
| Apparent size (V) | 0.28′ × 0.28′ |
| Notable features | Ring galaxy |
| Other designations | |
| PGC 54559, PRC D-51 | |
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 a D25 isophotal diameter of 48.89 kiloparsecs (159,000 light-years).