Most luminous galaxy in the Universe
WISE J224607.57−052635.0 (or W2246−0526 for short)[3] is an extremely luminous infrared galaxy (ELIRG) which, in 2015, was announced as the most luminous known galaxy in the observable universe.[3][4][5] The brightness of this galaxy is 350 trillion times[3] that of the Sun (349×1012L☉[1]). The merger of smaller nearby galaxies may be contributing to its brightness.[3][4][5] The light is generated by a quasar 10 billion times the mass of the Sun. The high energy[6] 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.[1][2][7][8][9]
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