This
Astrobin Debut Object is a galaxy group of 4 galaxies, called Hickson 52, located in the constellation of Leo at a declination of +21 degrees.
One galaxy, 52d, is an anomaly, by far the closest and smallest galaxy. This elliptical is 300 million light years away and only 20,000 light years in diameter.
The other 3 galaxies (52a, b, and c) are all around 0.6 billion light years away but do not appear to be interacting with each other. The largest, brightest and most interesting galaxy, Hickson 52a, is a magnitude 14 double ring barred galaxy. It spans 1 arc-minute, which corresponds to a large diameter of 160,000 light years. The other 2 galaxies, Hickson 52b and 52c, also have fairly interesting structures.
The Hickson catalog is a collection of 100 galaxy groups, established by Paul Hickson in 1982. Hickson compact galaxy groups are strictly defined by 3 criteria: number of galaxies, total magnitude, and isolation from other galaxies. A typical Hickson group has 4 galaxies, but some have up to 8. You can see more about Hickson galaxy groups in my
Astrobin Hickson Collection.
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