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Cannibal Galaxy the Biggest In the Near Universe

Posted by Soulskill on from the om-nom-nom dept.

The Bad Astronomer writes "Astronomers have found the most massive galaxy in the near universe: an obese, bloated monster that may tip the cosmic scales at 13 trillion times the mass of the Sun, 20 times the mass of the entire Milky Way. The galaxy, called ESO 146-IG 005, sits at the center of a dense cluster of other (but much more lightweight) galaxies, and grew to its present size by eating the galaxies around it. In fact, the so-far undigested cores of at least five other galaxies are still easily seen in the cannibal's nucleus. Astronomers are having difficulty pinning down the galaxy's exact mass, but it's clearly the biggest bruiser within 1.5 billion light years of home."

7 of 118 comments (clear)

  1. Eating ? by unity100 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    you actually mean 'merging' with them. galaxies do not consume stellar material to burn. stellar material just merges.

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    1. Re:Eating ? by spun · · Score: 4, Insightful

      you actually mean 'merging' with them. galaxies do not consume stellar material to burn. stellar material just merges.

      I don't consume Cheetos and Mountain Dew, I merge with them. I don't burn most of them, they simply merge into a nearly circular ring around my midsection.

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      - None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
  2. Re:Black Galaxy? by oldspewey · · Score: 5, Insightful

    In approximately 10^40 years, every galaxy will be nothing but black holes. By then, all stars will either have become white dwarfs or black holes, and the white dwarfs will have even cooled off to become black dwarfs.

    So what the hell is the point of even getting up in the morning?

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  3. How do they know? by esrobinson · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Astronomers are having difficulty pinning down the galaxy's exact mass, but it's clearly the biggest bruiser within 1.5 billion light years of home

    I mean, it's the largest galaxy they've seen at this point. But, if a galaxy of that size can go undiscovered for this long, how do they know there's not another one within 1.5 billion light years that's larger? Did they look at all of it, and just leave this little section for last?

    Or is the summary just fabricating things that aren't in the article?

  4. That would be 1.5 billion light years.... by 3seas · · Score: 1, Insightful

    ...ago

    It should be noted that this is not it's current size or state but its size and state about 1.5 billion years ago.

  5. Re:Time to update the joke by Hurricane78 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Yeah well, and yo momma is so drunk, that the stench of cheap booze is only drowned by the vomit in her beard. :P

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    Any sufficiently advanced intelligence is indistinguishable from stupidity.
  6. Re:Black Galaxy? by PaganRitual · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Bacon.