Hanny's Voorwerp
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| Object type | Quasar ionization echo |
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| Other designations | SDSS J094103.80+344334.2 |
| Constellation |
Leo Minor 
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| 09h 41m 03.81s | |
| Declination | +34° 43′ 34.3″ |
| Distance | 6.5×108 |
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In visual light (V) |
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| 19 | |
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Notable features
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Associated with spiral galaxy IC 2497 |
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Hanny's Voorwerp /ˈhʌniz ˈvɔːr.wɛərp/, (Dutch for Hanny's object) is a rare type of astronomical object called a quasar ionization echo. It was discovered in 2007 by Dutch schoolteacher Hanny van Arkel, while she was participating as a volunteer in the Galaxy Zoo project. Photographically, it appears as a bright blob close to spiral galaxy IC 2497 in the constellation Leo Minor.
Hanny's Voorwerp (HsV) is about the size of a small galaxy and has a central hole over 16,000 light years across. In an image taken with the HST, HsV is colored green, a standard false color that is used to represent the presence of several luminous emission lines of glowing oxygen. HsV has been shown to be at the same distance from Earth as the adjacent galaxy IC 2497, which is about 650 million light-years away.
Star birth is occurring in the region of HsV that faces IC 2497. Radio observations indicate that this is due to an outflow of gas arising from the IC 2497's core which is interacting with a small region of HsV to collapse and form stars. The youngest stars are several million years old.
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