Unravelling the Mysteries of the Leo Ring: An Absorption Line Study of
  an Unusual Gas Cloud
  Since the 1980's discovery of the large (2x10^9 Msun) intergalactic cloud
known as the Leo Ring, this object has been the center of a lively debate about
its origin. Determining the origin of this object is still important as we
develop a deeper understanding of the accretion and feedback processes that
shape galaxy evolution. We present HST/COS observations of three sightlines
near the Ring, two of which penetrate the high column density neutral hydrogen
gas visible in 21 cm observations of the object. These observations provide the
first direct measurement of the metallicity of the gas in the Ring, an
important clue to its origins. Our best estimate of the metallicity of the ring
is ~10% Zsun, higher than expected for primordial gas but lower than expected
from an interaction. We discuss possible modifications to the interaction and
primordial gas scenarios that would be consistent with this metallicity
measurement.
