TXS 0033+252
Largest radio galaxy discovered
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
TXS 0033+252 also known as NVSS J003616+253332, is a radio galaxy located in the constellation of Andromeda.[1] The galaxy is approximately 5.94 billion light years (1,820 megaparsecs) away and has an apparent Z magnitude of 19.4.[2][3] It was discovered in 1987 by the Green Bank Telescope in the 87GB survey of radio sources.[4] As of 2024, TXS 0033+252 is the largest known radio galaxy with an extent of 8 megaparsecs.[3]
| TXS 0033+252 | |
|---|---|
 DESI Legacy DR9 image of TXS 0033+252 | |
| Observation data (J2000 epoch) | |
| Constellation | Andromeda |
| Right ascension | 00h 36m 15.692s |
| Declination | +25° 33' 29.99" |
| Redshift | 0.62542 |
| Distance | 5.936 bly (1,820 mpc) |
| Characteristics | |
| Mass | 195.21 billion M☉ |
| Size | 48,700 ly (14,940 pc) |
| Other designations | |
| TXS 0033+252, NVSS J003616+253332, ILT J003621.03+253500.9 | |
Physical properties
The galaxy is a small, medium-mass galaxy that is not associated with any galaxy clusters, classifying it as a field galaxy.[1] It has a diameter of 48,700 light years (14.94 kiloparsecs) based on a distance of 5.94 billion light years (1,820 megaparsecs) and an angular diameter of 1.693 arcsecs. It also has an estimated stellar mass of 195 billion M☉.[3]
In 2024, it was discovered from the LOFAR Two-Metre Sky Survey (LoTSS) that TXS 0033+252 hosted a radio structure with an extent of 7.985 megaparsecs across or 26.04 million light years based on an angular diameter of 19 arcmin.[2][3] As of 2025, this is believed to be the largest radio structure of any radio galaxy, succeeding Porphyrion in size which is 7 megaparsecs across.[5]
See also
- List of largest radio galaxies, includes TXS 0033+252.
- Porphyrion, previous largest radio galaxy.