BREAKING NEWS: Malin 1: A Bizarre Galaxy Gets Slightly Less So

Sam Wormley wrote:
Klaatu wrote:
AustinMN wrote:

Magnificent Universe wrote:
Discovered in 1986, Malin 1 is the largest spiral galaxy in the
universe.
I'd love to know how they know that. There are huge areas of the
universe where we can't even see (i.e. obstructed by the contents of
our own galaxy).

Austin

Make that observed/observable universe, since most of our universe hasn't
been seen since light hasn't reached us yet.

We can probably see just about all we are ever going to see due to
the increasing expansion rate of the universe. The rotation of the
Milky Way will change what is obstructed over time, however.

Regardless, the idea that we have accurately measured the size of every
observable galaxy is of course rather absurd.

Greg

--
Greg Crinklaw
Astronomical Software Developer
Cloudcroft, New Mexico, USA (33N, 106W, 2700m)

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