Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

Hoag's Object: A Nearly Perfect Ring Galaxy

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for February 18, 2024 is “Hoag's Object: A Nearly Perfect Ring Galaxy,” an image. It is credited to Image Credit: NASA , ESA , Hubble ; Processing: Benoit Blanco. The original explanation runs about 192 words.

A nearly perfect circular ring of blue stars is seen against a dark field of small background galaxies. In the center of the ring is a ball of yellow stars. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
Credit: Image Credit: NASA , ESA , Hubble ; Processing: Benoit Blanco Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“Is this one galaxy or two? This question came to light in 1950 when astronomer Arthur Hoag chanced upon this unusual extragalactic object.”

— APOD editors, February 18, 2024

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
February 18, 2024
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: Image Credit: NASA , ESA , Hubble ; Processing: Benoit Blanco
Copyright
No copyright notice on the entry. Check the credited institution’s own usage rules before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 192 words

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Topics in this entry

Galaxies

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: February 18 in other years

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Source

Copy taken Oct 28, 2026, 2:39 AM EDT. The image and explanation belong to their creators. OpenOrbit is not affiliated with or endorsed by NASA.