| II Zwicky 28 | |
| Epoch: | J2000 |
| Type: | S pec (Ring) |
| Dist Ly: | 390 Mly (120 mpc)[1] |
| Z: | 0.028630 +/- 0.000060 |
| H Radial V: | 8583 +/-18 km/s |
| Appmag V: | 15.5 |
| Size V: | 0.3' x 0.3' |
| Constellation Name: | Orion |
| Names: | VV 790b, 2MASX J05014205+0334278, PGC 016572 |
II Zwicky 28 is an interacting ring galaxy at a distance of approximately 390 million light-years. The sparkling pink and purple loop in Zw II 28 is not a typical ring galaxy due to the fact that it does not seem to have the usual visible central companion.[2] For many years it was thought to be a lone circle on the sky, but observations using the Hubble Space Telescope have shown that there may be a possible companion lurking just inside the ring, where the loop appears to double back on itself.
The galaxy is only a faint IRAS source, which may indicate a lower level of star formation than other rings, however it has a high Hα luminosity, similar to other ring galaxies. It displays strong Balmer absorption lines interior to the ring, and it is possible that a major burst of star formation has recently occurred, using up a large fraction of the galaxy's molecular reservoir, and depleting its dust content.[3]
The bright foreground star is not associated to Zwicky; it is in our own galaxy, about 1,585 light-years away from the sun.