The barred spiral galaxy NGC 6872 is pictured in this undated NASA handout photo. Reuters/NASA
Using archival data from Nasa's Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) mission, scientists found
that measuring tip-to-tip across its two outsized spiral arms, NGC 6872 spans more than 522,000 light-years, making it more than five times the size of our Milky Way galaxy.
"Without GALEX's ability to detect the ultraviolet light of the youngest, hottest stars, we would never have recognised the full extent of this intriguing system," lead scientist Rafael Eufrasio, a research assistant at Nasa's Goddard Space Flight Centre in Greenbelt said.