Size comparison: giant radio galaxy DA 240 vs Milky Way

Size comparison between the giant radio galaxy DA 240 and the Milky Way.

The giant radio galaxy DA 240 is a galaxy of titanic proportions. Its size is 1.4 Mpc, or more than 4.5 million light years. This is almost twice the distance between the Milky Way and the Andromeda galaxy. DA 240 is at 215 Mpc (701 million light years). There is very little information about this distant galaxy at the moment.

What is a radio galaxy?

It is a galaxy with an emitted energy which does not come from the components of a so-called "normal" galaxy (dust, interstellar gas, stars). The energy comes from a wide range of radio waves via synchrotron radiation (electromagnetic radiation). This type of galaxy is part of active galaxies, ie galaxies that have an active nucleus. This nucleus is in the center of the galaxy and its luminosity is much more intense than normal. It is assumed that the energy of these galaxies is generated by a supermassive black hole, equivalent to 100 billion solar masses.

Object	Giant radio galaxy DA 240	Milky Way
Type	Galaxy	Galaxy
Age	100 million years	13.5 billion years
Diameter	4,566,188 light years	105,700 light years
Mean radius	2,283,094 light years	52,850 light years
Right ascension	7h 47m 7.51s	17h 45m 39.9s
Declination	−55° 43′ 45.5″	−29° 00′ 28″

Note: if one of the objects is not visible, it just means that it is too tiny to be displayed compared to the other one.