List of largest known galaxies
Below is a list of the largest known galaxies by size.
The order of this list is speculative, for the following reasons:
- Galaxies don't have precise boundaries. From the center of mass, the stars just drop down in density proportionally with greater distance. This list puts the boundaries of galaxies within the 1 star per hundred light year squared critical limit, where stars will hold each other through gravity.
- Most galaxies have uncertain emissions of light at different wavelengths. Such an example is IC 1101 whose X-ray emission extends to 6 million light years despite its stellar diameter smaller.
- Most galaxies undergo gravitational perturbations, making their stars spread out, such as the Comet Galaxy. This list only puts the boundaries where the gravity of the galaxy is dominant and not by tidal tails or other interactions.
List
| Galaxy | Size (ly/pc) | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| IC 1101 | 5,800,000 ly (1,800,000 pc) ± 800,000 ly (250,000 pc)[1] | E3 | Once reported in the late 1980s with an extremely large size, detailed analysis of its stellar halo finally reduced it to half of its original value. |
| NGC 262 (Markarian 348) |
2,600,000 ly (800,000 pc) (H I halo) |
S0-a | The huge neutral hydrogen halo of this galaxy makes it large; the stellar diameter of this galaxy is only 88,000 light-years. |
| BCG of Phoenix Cluster | 2,200,000 ly (670,000 pc) | E3 | Massive elliptical starburst galaxy |
| 300 other Abell cluster BCGs | >1,000,000 ly (310,000 pc) | ||
| Milky Way Galaxy | 100,000 ly (31,000 pc) | SBc | Our home galaxy, the galaxy that contains the Solar System. Reported for reference |
Angular size
Apparent area
| Galaxy | Size (square arcminutes) |
Type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andromeda Galaxy | 7200 [NB 1][2] | SA(s)b [3] | With apparent dimensions of 190'×60' ; Andromeda is the galaxy with the largest apparent size [2][3] |
Apparent diameter
| Galaxy | Size (arcseconds) | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andromeda Galaxy | 9000[NB 2][4] | SA(s)b [3] | With apparent dimensions of 190'×60' ; Andromeda is the galaxy with the largest apparent size [3][4] |
Notes
References
- ↑ http://sciencegaveuslot.com/ic-1101-largest-galaxy-known-in-universe/
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Kenneth Glyn Jones (1991). Messier's Nebulae and Star Clusters. Cambridge University Press. p. 7. ISBN 9780521370790.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "NED results for object MESSIER 031". NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Rudolf Kurth (22 October 2013). Introduction to Stellar Statistics. International Series of Monographs in Natural Philosophy 10 (Pergamon Press). p. 5. ISBN 9781483184951.
See also
- List of largest known stars
- List of largest planets
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