HOW BIG
DiscoverGalaxies

Galaxies

Cartwheel Galaxy: size, dimension and comparison

The adopted reference is about 150,000 light-years.

outer ring diameter ≈ 150 000 ly

A light-year is a distance: how far light travels in one year. It is used for distances between stars.

A galactic collision triggered a wave of star formation.

Explore at this scale
Cartwheel Galaxy, interpreted illustration
Interpreted illustration · dimension stated in the fact sheet.
How Big — generated illustration; NASA/ESA documentation.

What does this number measure?

NASA's Hubble entry describes an outer ring of 150 000 ly. The reference follows this ring without including the other galaxies visible in group images.

Compare the stated dimensions

The comparison uses the number in each fact sheet: altitude, height, diameter, length or distance, depending on the reference. Two values in metres do not necessarily describe the same property.

Compare with Pinwheel Galaxy · M101 in the explorer →

Source and limitations

Rounded documentary extent. Boundaries are diffuse and depend on the observations and convention used; this is not a distance from Earth.

Detailed interpreted astronomical illustration, not a photograph. Irregular outer ring, nucleus and faint radial structures inspired by Hubble observations of the Cartwheel; neighbouring galaxies excluded. The dimension calibrates the reference horizontal diameter of the interpreted outer ring, excluding neighbouring galaxies. Diffuse boundaries and colours are interpreted.

Illustration sources

How Big — generated illustration; NASA/ESA documentation.

Source coverage: Visual interpretation; colours and texture do not constitute an observation. Only the designated extent follows the catalogue's reference value.

How Big — generated illustration; NASA/ESA documentation.

Source coverage: Visual interpretation; colours and texture do not constitute an observation. Only the designated extent follows the catalogue's reference value.