Where In The Universe #83
Written by Nancy Atkinson
It’s time once again for another Where In The Universe Challenge. Test your visual knowledge of the cosmos by naming where in the Universe this image was taken and give yourself extra points if you can name the spacecraft responsible for this picture. Post your guesses in the comments section, and check back later at this same post to find the answer. To make this challenge fun for everyone, please don’t include links or extensive explanations with your answer. Good luck!
UPDATE: The answer has now been posted below.
This nearly perfect ring of hot, blue stars around a yellow nucleus is the very unusual galaxy known as Hoag's Object. The Hubble Space Telescope captured this face-on view of the galaxy's ring of stars, revealing more detail than any other existing photo of this object. The image may help astronomers unravel clues on how such strange objects form.
The entire galaxy is about 120,000 light-years wide, which is slightly larger than our Milky Way Galaxy.
Great job, everyone, and check back next week for anther WITU challenge!
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December 16th, 2009 at 4:32 pm
Hoag's Object (beautiful) taken by Hubble.
December 16th, 2009 at 5:31 pm
Nice, first comment got it, good job
December 16th, 2009 at 6:07 pm
I am late again. I third the assessments above. I had to look this up, for this is a crazy galaxy!. How in tarnation did this galaxy get like that! It would be curious to see that nucleus close up.
LC
December 16th, 2009 at 6:10 pm
maybe an Einstein ring,. . .?
December 16th, 2009 at 7:23 pm
Hubble: That thing is called Hoag's Object or a DM ring.
December 16th, 2009 at 10:41 pm
It is Hoag's object as Mr. Hanford so quickly stated. But let me be the first to mention the second ring galaxy that is seen inside this galaxy. A wedding ring and an engagement ring?
December 17th, 2009 at 12:24 am
Hoag's object,,,,taken by hubble
December 17th, 2009 at 4:41 am
As above, lovely galaxy, very strange formation and indeed even rarer to see another one in the background.
December 17th, 2009 at 5:47 am
Gorrrrrrrrrgeous!
December 17th, 2009 at 8:53 am
Can we get a closeup of the second Einstein ring to see if we hit the lottery and have a third one as well.
December 17th, 2009 at 11:59 am
Check out the simulations at
http://burro.cwru.edu/SSAnims/
The cartwheel simulations attempt to explain how this could have formed.
December 17th, 2009 at 8:39 pm
Hoag's Object. Hubble probably. And I guess I'm really late.
December 18th, 2009 at 10:54 am
Oops. Einstein rings are gravitational lensing phenomenon and this certainly is not. Better get my vocabulary back in order.
Would be amazing if we could see a 3rd Hoag's object in the smaller one though.
December 19th, 2009 at 1:47 pm
Way cool! And that space between the ring and the yellowish stars in the center is NOT empty – just full of faint reddish stars. I would like to this puppy in infrared!