Astronomers Discover the Largest Known Galaxy in the Universe
This cluster of stars that orbit a supermassive black hole is located three billion light-years from Earth and stretches at least 16.3 million light-years through space.
A group of astronomers have discovered the universe's largest known galaxy and called it Alcyoneus, ScienceAlert reports. This cluster of stars that orbit a supermassive black hole is located three billion light-years from Earth and stretches at least 16.3 million light-years through space.
Alcyoneus is a giant radio galaxy that is assumed to still be growing. In its core, there is a supermassive black hole with a mass of 400 times the mass of our Sun.
This largest known structure of galactic origin was found using the Low-Frequency Array (LOFAR) network of radio telescopes across Europe.
The discovery and study of Alcyoneus will help scientists understand what drives the incredible growth of such giant radio galaxies.