NGC 6872 – Behind The Black – Robert Zimmerman https://behindtheblack.com Thu, 10 Jan 2013 21:07:12 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 The largest known spiral galaxy. https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/the-largest-known-spiral-galaxy/ https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/the-largest-known-spiral-galaxy/#comments Thu, 10 Jan 2013 21:07:12 +0000 http://behindtheblack.com/?p=21392 The largest known spiral galaxy. With images.

Measuring tip-to-tip across its two outsized spiral arms, NGC 6872 spans more than 522,000 light-years, making it more than five times the size of our Milky Way galaxy.

For context, the Milky Way and its two Magellanic Clouds could easily fit inside this galaxy, with lots of room to spare.

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