Galaxies · Giant low-brightness spiral

Malin 1

1.19 billion light-years · Light crosses it in 649,998 years

Across

650,000 light-years

Vs Earth

6.5× Milky Way

Open Malin 1 in Cosmic Scale

In the app, Malin 1 is part of the Beyond pack.

About

Malin 1 is a giant spiral galaxy so faint that it was only discovered in 1986. Its ghostly disk is about 650,000 light-years across — over six times the Milky Way — though the bright inner part is only about the Milky Way's size.

A ghostly spiral about 650,000 light-years across, so faint it was only found in 1986.

At a glance

Distance	1.19 billion light-years
Size	About 650,000 light-years
Discovered	1986, David Malin
Type	Low-surface-brightness spiral

Did you know

1. It was the first galaxy of its faint kind ever confirmed.
2. Its outer disk is mostly hydrogen gas with few stars.
3. How such a huge, fragile disk formed is still unknown.