Cosmic Scale
Malin 1
Giant low-brightness spiral · 1.19 billion light-years
How big is Malin 1?
Malin 1 is about 650,000 light-years across.
See Malin 1 in 3D, at true scale
Malin 1 is a giant spiral galaxy so faint that it was only discovered in 1986. Its ghostly disk is about 650,000 light-years across — over six times the Milky Way — though the bright inner part is only about the Milky Way's size.
At a glance
| Diameter | 650,000 light-years |
|---|---|
| Diameter compared with Earth | 4.8 × 10¹⁴ × Earth |
| Distance | 1.19 billion light-years |
| Size | About 650,000 light-years |
| Discovered | 1986, David Malin |
| Type | Low-surface-brightness spiral |
Good to know
- It was the first galaxy of its faint kind ever confirmed.
- Its outer disk is mostly hydrogen gas with few stars.
- How such a huge, fragile disk formed is still unknown.
- Next smaller: Condor Galaxy · 522,000 light-years
- Next larger: Hercules A · 920,000 light-years