Astronomy:WISE J224607.57-052635.0

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Coordinates: Sky map 22h 46m 07.57s, −05° 26′ 35.0″

WISE J224607.57-052635.0
PIA19339-MostLuminousGalaxy-WISE-J224607.57-052635.0-20150521.jpg
WISE J224607.57-052635.0 is the most luminous galaxy in the Universe. (artist's impression)
Observation data
ConstellationAquarius
Right ascension 22h 46m 07.57s
Declination−05° 26′ 35.0″
Redshift4.593[1]
Distance12.5×109 light-years (3.8×109 parsecs)[2]
Characteristics
TypeSpiral
Other designations
WISE 2246-0526

WISE J224607.57-052635.0 is an Extremely Luminous Infrared Galaxy (ELIRG) which, in 2015, was announced as the most luminous galaxy in the Universe. The brightness is 300 trillion times that of the Sun (349×1012L[1]). The light is generated by a quasar 10 billion times the mass of the Sun. The light emitted by the quasar's supermassive black hole is converted to infrared rays by the galaxy's dust. The galaxy releases 10,000 times more energy than the Milky Way galaxy, although WISE J224607.57-052635.0 is smaller than the Milky Way galaxy. WISE J224607.57-052635.0 has a light travel distance of 12.5 billion light-years from it to Earth. The galaxy was discovered by using the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer.[1][2][3][4][5]

See also

References

External links