discoverer_or_inventor ngc 1291
A ring galaxy is a galaxy with a circle - like appearance . Hoag ' s Object , discovered by Art Hoag in 1950 , is an example of a ring galaxy . The ring contains many massive , relatively young blue stars , which are extremely bright . The central region contains relatively little luminous matter . Some astronomers believe that ring galaxies are formed when a smaller galaxy passes through the center of a larger galaxy . Because most of a galaxy consists of empty space , this " collision " rarely results in any actual collisions between stars . However , the gravitational disruptions caused by such an event could cause a wave of star formation to move through the larger galaxy . Other astronomers think that rings are formed around some galaxies when external accretion takes place . Star formation would then take place in the accreted material because of the shocks and compressions of the accreted material . Caroline Lucretia Herschel ( 16 March 1750  9 January 1848 ) was a German astronomer , whose most significant contributions to astronomy were the discoveries of several comets , including the periodic comet 35P / Herschel - Rigollet , which bears her name . She was the sister of astronomer ___MASK90___ , with whom she worked throughout her career . The Catalogue of Nebulae and Clusters of Stars ( CN ) is an astronomical catalogue of nebulae first published in 1786 by ___MASK90___ , with the assistance of his sister Caroline Herschel . It was later expanded into the General Catalogue of Nebulae and Clusters of Stars ( GC ) by his son , John Herschel . The CN and GC are the precursors to John Louis Emil Dreyer ' s " New General Catalogue " used by current astronomers . Frederick ___MASK90___ , (" Friedrich Wilhelm Herschel "; 15 November 1738  25 August 1822 ) was a British astronomer and composer of German origin , and brother of fellow astronomer Caroline Herschel , with whom he worked . Born in the Electorate of Hanover , Herschel followed his father into the Military Band of Hanover , before migrating to Great Britain in 1757 at the age of nineteen . NGC 1291 , also known as NGC 1269 , is a ring galaxy with an unusual inner bar and outer ring structure located about 33 million light - years away in the constellation Eridanus . It was discovered by ___MASK8___ in 1826 and subsequently entered into the New General Catalogue as NGC 1291 by Johan Ludvig Emil Dreyer . John Herschel then observed the same object in 1836 and entered it into the catalog as NGC 1269 without realizing that it was a duplicate . This galaxy was cited as an example of a `` transitional galaxy '' by NASA ' s Galaxy Evolution Explorer team in 2007 . The New General Catalogue of Nebulae and Clusters of Stars ( abbreviated as NGC ) is a catalogue of deep - sky objects compiled by John Louis Emil Dreyer in 1888 as a new version of John Herschel ' s " General Catalogue of Nebulae and Clusters of Stars ". The NGC contains 7 , 840 objects , known as the NGC objects . It is one of the largest comprehensive catalogues , as it includes all types of deep space objects and is not confined to , for example , galaxies . Dreyer also published two supplements to the NGC in 1895 and 1908 , known as the Index Catalogues , describing a further 5 , 386 astronomical objects . Hoag ' s Object is a non - typical galaxy of the type known as a ring galaxy . The galaxy is named after ___MASK7___ who discovered it in 1950 and identified it as either a planetary nebula or a peculiar galaxy with eight billion stars . ___MASK8___ FRSE ( 31 October 1793  22 September 1848 ) was a Scottish astronomer , noted for his work in Australia . He served as astronomer ' s assistant who was hired by Sir Thomas Brisbane to work at his private observatory , once located at Paramatta ( now named Parramatta ), New South Wales , about west of Sydney during the 1820s and 1830s . Dunlop was mostly a visual observer , doing stellar astrometry work for Brisbane , and after its completion , then independently discovered and catalogued many new telescopic southern double stars and deep - sky objects . He later became the Superintendent of Paramatta Observatory when it was finally sold to the New South Wales Government . Sir John Frederick ___MASK90___ , 1st Baronet ( 7 March 1792  11 May 1871 ) was an English polymath , mathematician , astronomer , chemist , inventor , and experimental photographer , who also did valuable botanical work . He was the son of Mary Baldwin and astronomer ___MASK90___ , nephew of astronomer Caroline Herschel and the father of twelve children .