WISE J224607.57−052635.0
| WISE J224607.57−052635.0 | |
|---|---|
ALMA image of W2246−0526 merging with three nearby smaller galaxies | |
| Observation data (J2000 epoch) | |
| Constellation | Aquarius |
| Right ascension | 22h 46m 07.57s |
| Declination | −05° 26′ 35.0″ |
| Redshift | 4.593 |
| Distance | 12.5 billion light-years (3.8 billion parsecs) (light travel distance) 25 billion light-years (7.7 billion parsecs) (comoving distance) |
| Characteristics | |
| Type | LIRG |
| Size | 30,000 ly (9,200 pc) (W2246-0526) 100,000 ly (31,000 pc) |
| Apparent size (V) | 0.008 x 0.004 (W2246-0526) 0.03 x 0.015 |
| Notable features | Interacting galaxies |
| Other designations | |
| W2246−0526; WISE 2246−0526; WISE J224607.55−052634.9; WISE J224607.56−052634.9, SDSS J224607.65-052639.4, [JBS2014] WJ2246-0526 | |
WISE J224607.57−052635.0 (or W2246−0526 for short) is an extremely luminous infrared galaxy (ELIRG) which, in 2015, was announced as the most luminous known galaxy in the observable universe. The brightness of this galaxy is 350 trillion times that of the Sun (349 trillionL☉). The merger of smaller nearby galaxies may be contributing to its brightness. The light is generated by a quasar 10 billion times the mass of the Sun. The high energy optical light and ultraviolet light emitted by the accretion disc around the quasar's supermassive black hole is absorbed by the galaxy's dust and re-emitted in the infrared. The galaxy releases 10,000 times more energy than the Milky Way galaxy, although WISE J224607.57–052635.0 is the smaller of the two. WISE J224607.57–052635.0 has a light-travel distance of 12.5 billion light years from it to Earth. The galaxy was discovered using the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer.