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How big is the Tadpole Galaxy?

The Tadpole Galaxy is 4 皆米

Introduction: The Tale of the Tadpole Galaxy

Have you ever heard of a galaxy with a tail? Just like a tadpole in a pond, there’s a galaxy in the universe that has a tail too. That’s why it’s called the Tadpole Galaxy! This unique galaxy is located far, far away in the vast universe, in a constellation called Draco.

The Size of the Tadpole Galaxy

The Tadpole Galaxy is not like the typical round galaxies you might have seen in pictures. It’s a disrupted barred spiral galaxy, which means it has a bright center with arms that spiral outwards. But what makes it really special is its tail. This tail of stars stretches for about 280,000 light-years! To understand how big that is, let’s compare it to our own galaxy, the Milky Way. The Milky Way is only about 100,000 light-years across. That means the tail of the Tadpole Galaxy is almost three times the width of the Milky Way!

  • The Tadpole Galaxy: 280,000 light-years long - The Milky Way Galaxy: 100,000 light-years across

How Did the Tadpole Galaxy Get So Big?

The Tadpole Galaxy wasn’t always this big. About 100 million years ago, it collided and merged with a smaller galaxy. This event triggered the formation of bright blue star clusters throughout the Tadpole Galaxy, some containing up to one million stars. But the really interesting part is what happened to the shape of the Tadpole Galaxy during this merger. When the smaller galaxy passed through the Tadpole Galaxy, their mutual gravitational attraction created a sort of galactic slingshot effect. This pulled out the stars, gases, and dust from the Tadpole Galaxy, forming its distinctive tail. The smaller galaxy is now thought to lie about 300,000 light-years behind the Tadpole Galaxy.

The Tadpole Galaxy: A Unique Giant in the Universe

The Tadpole Galaxy is the largest disrupted spiral galaxy of its sort. Despite the violent event that caused its current shape, it continues to shine brightly in the universe with its blue star clusters. It’s a perfect example of the dynamic and ever-changing nature of our universe. So, the next time you look up at the night sky, remember the Tadpole Galaxy. Its size and shape might be unusual, but that’s what makes it one of the most interesting galaxies in the cosmos!

Smaller By Category
NGC 4889
This very large galaxy, which is also known as Caldwell 35, is the brightest galaxy in the Coma cluster. It is going away from us at 6,500 kilometers per second. At that speed, it could circumnavigate the Earth in less than seven seconds!
NGC 1232
NGC 1232 is a pretty big galaxy. It's bigger than ours, but it's not the biggest. Of course, IC 1101 is not the biggest galaxy, it's only the biggest galaxy we know of. There are probably many more!
Pinwheel Galaxy
When this galaxy was first discovered, it was believed to be a nebula. It's not; it's a galaxy. It's also called Messier 101, because it was the 101st Messier object to be cataloged.
Larger By Category
Distance Earth Has Travelled (Relative to Sun)
Earth has travelled almost half a million light-years relative to the Sun since its formation. (That's 4.5 billion years/orbits.) Earth is 10,000 times slower than light.
IC 1101
IC 1101 is the largest known galaxy. It contains about 100 trillion stars. Our galaxy, the Milky Way, has only 250 billion, so IC 1101 has 400 times more stars than the Milky Way.
Distance to the Andromeda Galaxy
At two million light-years away, the Andromeda Galaxy is the most distant object visible to the naked eye. However, without binoculars or a telescope, it will appear as a dim blur.