List of galaxies facts for kids

This is a general list of galaxies. For more specific lists, see Lists of galaxies.

Size (left) and distance (right) of a few well-known galaxies put to scale

The following is a list of notable galaxies.

There are about 51 galaxies in the Local Group (see list of nearest galaxies for a complete list), on the order of 100,000 in the Local Supercluster, and an estimated 100 billion in all of the observable universe.

The discovery of the nature of galaxies as distinct from other nebulae (interstellar clouds) was made in the 1920s. The first attempts at systematic catalogues of galaxies were made in the 1960s, with the Catalogue of Galaxies and Clusters of Galaxies listing 29,418 galaxies and galaxy clusters, and with the Morphological Catalogue of Galaxies, a putatively complete list of galaxies with photographic magnitude above 15, listing 30,642. In the 1980s, the Lyons Groups of Galaxies listed 485 galaxy groups with 3,933 member galaxies. Galaxy Zoo is a project aiming at a more comprehensive list: launched in July 2007, it has classified over one million galaxy images from The Sloan Digital Sky Survey, The Hubble Space Telescope and the Cosmic Assembly Near-Infrared Deep Extragalactic Legacy Survey.

There is no universal naming convention for galaxies, as they are mostly catalogued before it is established whether the object is or isn't a galaxy. Mostly they are identified by their celestial coordinates together with the name of the observing project (HUDF, SDSS, 3C, CFHQS, NGC/IC, etc.)

Named galaxies
Observational firsts
Prototypes
Closest and most distant-known galaxies by type
- Closest galaxies
- Most distant galaxies
Galaxies by brightness and power
Galaxies by mass and density
Galaxies by size
Field galaxies
Interacting galaxies
- Galaxy mergers
Galaxies with some other notable feature
See also
- Lists of galaxies

Named galaxies

This is a list of galaxies that are well known by something other than an entry in a catalog or list, or a set of coordinates, or a systematic designation.

Galaxy	Constellation	Origin of name	Notes
Andromeda Galaxy	Andromeda	Andromeda, which is shortened from "Andromeda Galaxy", gets its name from the area of the sky in which it appears, the constellation of Andromeda.	Andromeda is the closest big galaxy to the Milky Way and is expected to collide with the Milky Way around 4.5 billion years from now. The two will eventually merge into a single new galaxy called Milkdromeda.
Antennae Galaxies	Corvus	Appearance is similar to an insect's antennae.	Two colliding galaxies
Backward Galaxy	Centaurus	It appears to rotate backwards, as the tips of the spiral arms point in the direction of rotation.
Bear Paw Galaxy	Lynx	It resembles the appearance of a bear's claw.	Also known as "Bear Claw Galaxy."
Black Eye Galaxy	Coma Berenices	It has a spectacular dark band of absorbing dust in front of the galaxy's bright nucleus, giving rise to its nicknames of the "Black Eye" or "Evil Eye" galaxy.	Also known as "Sleeping Beauty Galaxy."
Bode's Galaxy	Ursa Major	Named for Johann Elert Bode who discovered this galaxy in 1774.	Also known as Messier 81. The largest galaxy in the M81 Group. It harbors a supermassive black hole 70 million times the mass of the Sun.
Butterfly Galaxies	Virgo	Looks are similar to a butterfly.
Cartwheel Galaxy	Sculptor	Its visual appearance is similar to that of a spoked cartwheel.	The largest in the Cartwheel Galaxy group, made up of four spiral galaxies
Cigar Galaxy	Ursa Major	Appears similar in shape to a cigar.	Also known as Messier 82 or M82
Circinus Galaxy	Circinus	Named after the constellation it is located in (Circinus).
Coma Pinwheel Galaxy	Coma Berenices	Named after its resemblance to the Pinwheel Galaxy and its location in the Coma Berenices constellation.	Also known as Messier 99 or M99
Comet Galaxy	Sculptor	This galaxy is named after its unusual appearance, looking like a comet.	The comet effect is caused by tidal stripping by its galaxy cluster, Abell 2667.
Condor Galaxy	Pavo	Named after a condor, a type of vulture that is one of the largest flying birds.	The largest known spiral galaxy, it has a diameter of over 665,300 light-years (204.0 kiloparsecs). It is tidally disturbed by the smaller lenticular galaxy IC 4970.
Cosmos Redshift 7	Sextans	The name of this galaxy is based on a Redshift (z) measurement of nearly 7 (actually, z = 6.604).	Galaxy Cosmos Redshift 7 is reported to be the brightest of distant galaxies (z > 6) and to contain some of the earliest first stars (first generation; Population III) that produced the chemical elements needed for the later formation of planets and life as we know it.
Eye of God	Eridanus	Name after its structural appearance	A prototype for multi-arm spiral galaxies
Eye of Sauron	Canes Venatici	Due to its resemblance to the Eye of Sauron from The Lord of the Rings.
Fireworks Galaxy	Cygnus and Cepheus	Due to its bright and spotty appearance	Active starburst galaxy
Grasshopper	Lynx	Named after its appearance to a grasshopper	Two colliding galaxies
Hockey Stick Galaxies	Canes Venatici	Its elongated and curved appearance resembles a hockey stick.	Also known as Crowbar Galaxy
Hoag's Object	Serpens Caput	This is named after Art Hoag, who discovered this ring galaxy.	It is of the subtype Hoag-type galaxy, and may in fact be a polar-ring galaxy with the ring in the plane of rotation of the central object.
Large Magellanic Cloud	Dorado/Mensa	Named after Ferdinand Magellan	This is the fourth-largest galaxy in the Local Group, and forms a pair with the SMC, and from recent research, may not be part of the Milky Way system of satellites at all.
Lindsay-Shapley Ring	Volans	Named after its discoverer, Eric Lindsay, his professor Harlow Shapley, and its nature as a ring galaxy.	The ring is the result of collision with another galaxy
Little Sombrero Galaxy	Pegasus	Named after its similarity to the Sombrero Galaxy.
Malin 1	Coma Berenices	Discovered and named by David Malin.	Also known as Messier 99 or M99
Medusa Merger	Ursa Major	Ejected dust from the merging galaxies is said to look like the snakes that the Gorgon Medusa from Greek mythology had on her head.
Sculptor Dwarf Galaxy	Sculptor	Similar to the Sculpture Galaxies	Also known as Sculptor Dwarf Elliptical Galaxy, Sculptor Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy, and formerly as the Sculptor System
Mice Galaxies	Coma Berenices	Appearance is similar to a mouse.
Small Magellanic Cloud	Tucana	Named after Ferdinand Magellan	This forms a pair with the LMC, and from recent research, may not be part of the Milky Way system of satellites at all.
Mayall's Object	Ursa Major	This is named after Nicholas Mayall, of the Lick Observatory, who discovered it.	Also called VV 32 and Arp 148, this is a very peculiar looking object, and is likely to be not one galaxy, but two galaxies undergoing a collision. Event in images is a spindle shape and a ring shape.
Milky Way	Sagittarius (centre)	The appearance from Earth of the galaxy—a band of light	The galaxy containing the Sun and its Solar System, and therefore Earth.
Needle Galaxy	Coma Berenices	Named due to its slender appearance.	Also known as Caldwell 38
Wolf-Lundmark-Melotte	Cetus	Named for the three astronomers instrumental in its discovery and identification.
Paramecium Galaxy	Pegasus	Named after its appearance to the organism Paramecium	It is included in the Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies in the category galaxies with detached segments.
Peekaboo Galaxy	Hydra	Galaxy (aka HIPASS J1131-31) was hidden behind a relatively fast-moving foreground star (TYC 7215-199-1) and became observable when the star moved aside.	Galaxy, relatively nearby, is considered one of the most metal-poor ("extremely metal-poor" (XMP)), least chemically enriched, and seemingly primordial, galaxies known.
Pinwheel Galaxy	Ursa Major	Similar in appearance to a pinwheel (toy).	Also known as Messier 101 or M101
Sculptor Galaxy	Sculptor	Named after its location in the Sculptor Constellation. Also called the Silver Dollar or Silver Coin Galaxy, because of its light and circular appearance.	Also known as the Silver Coin, Silver Dollar Galaxy or Caldwell 65
Sombrero Galaxy	Virgo	Similar in appearance to a sombrero.	Also known as Messier Object 104 or M104
Southern Pinwheel Galaxy	Hydra	Named after its resemblance to the Pinwheel Galaxy and its location in the southern celestial hemisphere.
Spider Galaxy	Boötes	Name after its appearance of a spider
Sunflower Galaxy	Canes Venatici	Similar in appearance to a sunflower.
Tadpole Galaxy	Draco	The name comes from the resemblance of the galaxy to a tadpole.	This shape resulted from tidal interaction that drew out a long tidal tail.
Triangulum Galaxy	Triangulum	Named after its location within the Triangulum constellation.
Whirlpool Galaxy	Canes Venatici	From the whirlpool appearance this gravitationally disturbed galaxy exhibits.

Observational firsts

First	Galaxy	Constellation	Year	Notes
First spiral galaxy	Whirlpool galaxy	Canes Venatici	1845	Lord William Parsons, Earl of Rosse discovered the first spiral nebula from observing M51 (recognition of the spiral shape without the recognition of the object as outside the Milky Way).
Notion of galaxy	Milky Way Galaxy & Andromeda galaxy	Sagittarius (centre) & Andromeda	1923	Recognition of the Milky Way and the Andromeda nebula as two separate galaxies by Edwin Hubble.
First Seyfert galaxy	NGC 1068 (M77)	Cetus	1943 (1908)	The characteristics of Seyfert galaxies were first observed in M77 in 1908; however, Seyferts were defined as a class in 1943.
First radio galaxy	Cygnus A	Cygnus	1951	Of several items, then called radio stars, Cygnus A was identified with a distant galaxy, being the first of many radio stars to become a radio galaxy.
First quasar	3C273	Virgo	1962	3C273 was the first quasar with its redshift determined, and by some considered the first quasar.
First quasar	3C48	Triangulum	1960	3C48 was the first "radio-star" with an unreadable spectrum, and by others considered the first quasar.
First superluminal galactic jet	3C279	Virgo	1971	The jet is emitted by a quasar
First low-surface-brightness galaxy	Malin 1	Coma Berenices	1986	Malin 1 was the first verified LSB galaxy. LSB galaxies had been first theorized in 1976.
First superluminal jet from a Seyfert	III Zw 2	Pisces	2000

Prototypes

This is a list of galaxies that became prototypes for a class of galaxies.

Prototype Galaxies
Class	Galaxy	Constellation	Date	Notes
BL Lac object	BL Lacertae (BL Lac)	Lacerta		This AGN was originally catalogued as a variable star, and "stars" of its type are considered BL Lac objects.
Hoag-type Galaxy	Hoag's Object	Serpens Caput		This is the prototype Hoag-type ring galaxy
Giant LSB galaxy	Malin 1	Coma Berenices	1986
FR II radio galaxy (double-lobed radio galaxy)	Cygnus A	Cygnus	1951
Starburst galaxy	Cigar Galaxy	Ursa Major
Flocculent spiral galaxy	NGC 2841	Ursa Major

Closest and most distant-known galaxies by type

Title	Galaxy	Constellation	Distance	Notes
Closest galaxy	Sagittarius Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy	Sagittarius	0.070 Mly	A proposed dwarf galaxy known as the Canis Major Overdensity may lie closer at 25,000 light-years, however its status as a galaxy is disputed.
Most distant galaxy	JADES-GS-z13-0	Fornax	z=13.2	Spectroscopic observations by JWST's NIRSpec instrument in December 2022 confirmed the galaxy's redshift of z = 13.2 to a high accuracy, establishing it as the oldest and most distant spectroscopically-confirmed galaxy known as of March 2023, with a light-travel distance (lookback time) of 13.6 billion years.
Closest quasar	Markarian 231	Ursa Major	z=0.0415	Sometimes classified as a Type-2 Seyfert galaxy, though mostly considered to be the nearest quasar.
Most distant quasar	QSO J0313–1806	Eridanus	z=7.64	Its discovery was announced in January 2021. It has a redshift of 7.64 making it the most distant-known quasar in the universe.
Closest radio galaxy	Centaurus A (NGC 5128, PKS 1322–427)	Centaurus	13.7 Mly
Most distant radio galaxy	TGSS J1530+1049	Serpens	z=5.72	Another radio galaxy, GLEAM J0917-0012, may either lie at z=2.01 or as distant as z=8.21.
Closest Seyfert galaxy	Circinus Galaxy	Circinus	13 Mly	This is also the closest Seyfert 2 galaxy. The closest Seyfert 1 galaxy is NGC 4151.
Most distant Seyfert galaxy	HSC 0921+0007	Hydra	z=6.56	Seyfert 1 galaxy; also a low-luminosity quasar.
Closest blazar	Markarian 421 (Mrk 421, Mkn 421, PKS 1101+384, LEDA 33452)	Ursa Major	z=0.030	This is a BL Lac object.
Most distant-known blazar	Q0906+6930	Ursa Major	z=5.47	This is a flat spectrum radio-loud quasar-type blazar.
Closest BL Lac object	Markarian 421 (Mkn 421, Mrk 421, PKS 1101+384, LEDA 33452)	Ursa Major	z=0.030	It has been proposed that the nearby (16.4 Mpc) giant galaxy Messier 87 could actually be a BL Lac object viewed at an unfavorable angle.
Most distant BL Lac object	FIRST J233153.20+112952.11	Pegasus	z=6.57
Closest LINER
Most distant LINER			z=
Closest LIRG
Most distant LIRG			z=
Closest ULIRG	IC 1127 (Arp 220/APG 220)	Serpens Caput	z=0.018
Most distant ULIRG			z=
Closest starburst galaxy	IC 10 (UGC 192, PGC 1305)	Cassiopeia	750 ± 150 kpc (2,450,000 ± 489,000 ly)	A mild starburst galaxy, this is the only such galaxy within the Local Group.
Most distant starburst galaxy	SPT 0243-49		z=5.698

Closest galaxies

5 Closest Galaxies
Rank	Galaxy	Distance	Notes
1	Milky Way Galaxy	0	This is the galaxy containing the Sun and its Solar System, and therefore Earth.
2	Canis Major Dwarf	0.025 Mly
3	Virgo Stellar Stream	0.030 Mly
4	Sagittarius Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy	0.081 Mly
5	Large Magellanic Cloud	0.163 Mly	Largest satellite galaxy of the Milky Way
6	Small Magellanic Cloud	0.197 Mly
Mly represents millions of light-years, a measure of distance. Distances are measured from Earth, with Earth being at zero.

Nearest Galaxies by Type
Title	Galaxy	Date	Distance	Notes
Nearest galaxy	Milky Way	always	0	This is the galaxy containing the Sun and its Solar System, and therefore Earth.
Nearest galaxy to the Milky Way	Sagittarius Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy	1994	0.070 Mly	The closest, undisputed galaxy. The disputed dwarf galaxy Canis Major Overdensity is even closer at 25,000 light-years.
Nearest dwarf galaxy	Sagittarius Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy	1994	0.070 Mly
Nearest major galaxy to the Milky Way	Andromeda Galaxy	always	2.54 Mly	First identified as a separate galaxy in 1923
Nearest giant galaxy	Maffei 1	1967	11 Mly	Nearest major elliptical galaxy to the Milky Way

Nearest Neighboring Galaxy Title-holder
Galaxy	Date	Distance	Notes
Ursa Major III	2023	0.01 Mly
Sagittarius Dwarf Elliptical Galaxy	1994–2023	0.026 Mly
Large Magellanic Cloud	antiquity–1994	0.163 Mly	This is the upper bound, as it is the nearest galaxy observable with the naked eye.
Small Magellanic Cloud	1913–1914	0.197 Mly	This was the first intergalactic distance measured. In 1913, Ejnar Hertzsprung measures the distance to SMC using Cepheid variables. In 1914, he did it for LMC.
Andromeda Galaxy	1923	2.5 Mly	This was the first galaxy determined to not be part of the Milky Way.
Mly represents millions of light-years, a measure of distance. Distances are measured from Earth, with Earth being at zero.

Most distant galaxies

Most Remote Galaxies by Type
Title	Galaxy	Date	Redshift	Notes
Most remote galaxy confirmed (spectroscopic redshift)	JADES-GS-z13-0	2022	z=13.2	JADES-GS-z13-0 is the most distant galaxy with a spectroscopic redshift as of November 2022.
Most remote quasar	QSO J0313–1806	2021	z=7.64	Most distant as of January 2021. Further information: List of quasars

Timeline of Most Remote Galaxy Record-holders
Galaxy	Date	Distance (z=Redshift)	Notes
GN-z11	2016–	z=11.09	Announced March 2016.
EGSY8p7 (EGSY-2008532660)	2015–2016	z=8.68	This galaxy's redshift was determined by examining its Lyman-alpha emissions, which were released in August 2015.
EGS-zs8-1	2015–2015	z=7.730	This was the most distant galaxy as of May 2015.
Z8 GND 5296	2013–2015	z=7.51
SXDF-NB1006-2	2012–2013	z=7.215
GN-108036	2012–2012	z=7.213
BDF-3299	2012–2013	z=7.109
IOK-1	2006–2010	z=6.96	This was the most remote object known at the time of discovery. In 2009, gamma ray burst GRB 090423 was discovered at z=8.2, taking the title of most distant object. The next galaxy to hold the title also succeeded GRB 090423, that being UDFy-38135539.
SDF J132522.3+273520	2005–2006	z=6.597	This was the remotest object known at time of discovery.
SDF J132418.3+271455	2003–2005	z=6.578	This was the remotest object known at time of discovery.
HCM-6A	2002–2003	z=6.56	This was the remotest object known at time of discovery. The galaxy is lensed by galaxy cluster Abell 370. This was the first galaxy, as opposed to quasar, found to exceed redshift 6. It exceeded the redshift of quasar SDSSp J103027.10+052455.0 of z=6.28
SSA22−HCM1	1999–2002	z=5.74	This was the remotest object known at time of discovery. In 2000, the quasar SDSSp J104433.04-012502.2 was discovered at z=5.82, becoming the most remote object in the universe known. This was followed by another quasar, SDSSp J103027.10+052455.0 in 2001, the first object exceeding redshift 6, at z=6.28
HDF 4-473.0	1998–1999	z=5.60	This was the remotest object known at the time of discovery.
RD1 (0140+326 RD1)	1998	z=5.34	This was the remotest object known at time of discovery. This was the first object found beyond redshift 5.
CL 1358+62 G1 & CL 1358+62 G2	1997–1998	z=4.92	These were the remotest objects known at the time of discovery. The pair of galaxies were found lensed by galaxy cluster CL1358+62 (z=0.33). This was the first time since 1964 that something other than a quasar held the record for being the most distant object in the universe. It exceeded the mark set by quasar PC 1247-3406 at z=4.897
From 1964 to 1997, the title of most distant object in the universe were held by a succession of quasars. That list is available at list of quasars.
8C 1435+63	1994–1997	z=4.25	This is a radio galaxy. At the time of its discovery, quasar PC 1247-3406 at z=4.73, discovered in 1991 was the most remote object known. This was the last radio galaxy to hold the title of most distant galaxy. This was the first galaxy, as opposed to quasar, that was found beyond redshift 4.
4C 41.17	1990–1994	z=3.792	This is a radio galaxy. At the time of its discovery, quasar PC 1158+4635, discovered in 1989, was the most remote object known, at z=4.73 In 1991, quasar PC 1247-3406, became the most remote object known, at z=4.897
1 Jy 0902+343 (GB6 B0902+3419, B2 0902+34)	1988–1990	z=3.395	This is a radio galaxy. At the time of discovery, quasar Q0051-279 at z=4.43, discovered in 1987, was the most remote object known. In 1989, quasar PC 1158+4635 was discovered at z=4.73, making it the most remote object known. This was the first galaxy discovered above redshift 3. It was also the first galaxy found above redshift 2.
3C 256	1984–1988	z=1.819	This is a radio galaxy. At the time, the most remote object was quasar PKS 2000-330, at z=3.78, found in 1982.
3C 241	1984	z=1.617	This is a radio galaxy. At the time, the most remote object was quasar PKS 2000-330, at z=3.78, found in 1982.
3C 324	1983–1984	z=1.206	This is a radio galaxy. At the time, the most remote object was quasar PKS 2000-330, at z=3.78, found in 1982.
3C 65	1982–1983	z=1.176	This is a radio galaxy. At the time, the most remote object was quasar OQ172, at z=3.53, found in 1974. In 1982, quasar PKS 2000-330 at z=3.78 became the most remote object.
3C 368	1982	z=1.132	This is a radio galaxy. At the time, the most remote object was quasar OQ172, at z=3.53, found in 1974.
3C 252	1981–1982	z=1.105	This is a radio galaxy. At the time, the most remote object was quasar OQ172, at z=3.53, found in 1974.
3C 6.1	1979 –	z=0.840	This is a radio galaxy. At the time, the most remote object was quasar OQ172, at z=3.53, found in 1974.
3C 318	1976 –	z=0.752	This is a radio galaxy. At the time, the most remote object was quasar OQ172, at z=3.53, found in 1974.
3C 411	1975 –	z=0.469	This is a radio galaxy. At the time, the most remote object was quasar OQ172, at z=3.53, found in 1974.
From 1964 to 1997, the title of most distant object in the universe were held by a succession of quasars. That list is available at list of quasars.
3C 295	1960–	z=0.461	This is a radio galaxy. This was the remotest object known at time of discovery of its redshift. This was the last non-quasar to hold the title of most distant object known until 1997. In 1964, quasar 3C 147 became the most distant object in the universe known.
LEDA 25177 (MCG+01-23-008)	1951–1960	z=0.2 (V=61000 km/s)	This galaxy lies in the Hydra Supercluster. It is located at B1950.0 08^h 55^m 4^s +03° 21′ and is the BCG of the fainter Hydra Cluster Cl 0855+0321 (ACO 732).
LEDA 51975 (MCG+05-34-069)	1936–	z=0.13 (V=39000 km/s)	The brightest cluster galaxy of the Bootes cluster (ACO 1930), an elliptical galaxy at B1950.0 14^h 30^m 6^s +31° 46′ apparent magnitude 17.8, was found by Milton L. Humason in 1936 to have a 40,000 km/s recessional redshift velocity.
LEDA 20221 (MCG+06-16-021)	1932 –	z=0.075 (V=23000 km/s)	This is the BCG of the Gemini Cluster (ACO 568) and was located at B1950.0 07^h 05^m 0^s +35° 04′
BCG of WMH Christie's Leo Cluster	1931–1932	z= (V=19700 km/s)
BCG of Baede's Ursa Major Cluster	1930–1931	z= (V=11700 km/s)
NGC 4860	1929–1930	z=0.026 (V=7800 km/s)
NGC 7619	1929	z=0.012 (V=3779 km/s)	Using redshift measurements, NGC 7619 was the highest at the time of measurement. At the time of announcement, it was not yet accepted as a general guide to distance; however, later in the year, Edwin Hubble described redshift in relation to distance, leading to a seachange, and having this being accepted as an inferred distance.
NGC 584 (Dreyer nebula 584)	1921–1929	z=0.006 (V=1800 km/s)	At the time, nebula had yet to be accepted as independent galaxies. However, in 1923, galaxies were generally recognized as external to the Milky Way.
M104 (NGC 4594)	1913–1921	z=0.004 (V=1180 km/s)	This was the second galaxy whose redshift was determined; the first being Andromeda—which is approaching us and thus cannot have its redshift used to infer distance. Both were measured by Vesto Melvin Slipher. At this time, nebula had yet to be accepted as independent galaxies. NGC 4594 was originally measured as 1000 km/s, then refined to 1100, and then to 1180 in 1916.
M81	antiquity – 20th century	11.8 Mly z=-0.10)	This is the lower bound, as it is remotest galaxy observable with the naked eye. It is 12 million light-years away. Redshift cannot be used to infer distance, because it is moving toward us faster than cosmological expansion.
Messier 101	1930–		Using the pre-1950s Cepheid measurements, M101 was one of the most distant so measured.
Triangulum Galaxy	1924–1930		In 1924, Edwin Hubble announced the distance to M33 Triangulum.
Andromeda Galaxy	1923–1924		In 1923, Edwin Hubble measured the distance to Andromeda, and settled the question of whether or not there were galaxies, or if everything was in the Milky Way.
Small Magellanic Cloud	1913–1923		This was the first intergalactic distance measured. In 1913, Ejnar Hertzsprung measures the distance to SMC using Cepheid variables.

Galaxies by brightness and power

Title	Galaxy	Data	Notes
Intrinsically brightest galaxy	Baby Boom Galaxy		Starburst galaxy located 12 billion light-years away
Brightest galaxy to the naked eye	Large Magellanic Cloud	Apparent magnitude 0.6	This galaxy has high surface brightness combined with high apparent brightness.
Intrinsically faintest galaxy	Ursa Major III	Absolute magnitude +2.2	This does not include dark galaxies.
Lowest surface brightness galaxy	Andromeda IX
Most luminous galaxy	WISE J224607.57-052635.0		As of 21 May 2015, WISE-J224607.57-052635.0-20150521 is the most luminous galaxy discovered and releases 10,000 times more energy than the Milky Way galaxy, although smaller. Nearly 100 percent of the light escaping from this dusty galaxy is Infrared radiation. (Image)
Brightest distant galaxy (z > 6)	Cosmos Redshift 7		Galaxy Cosmos Redshift 7 is reported to be the brightest of distant galaxies (z > 6) and to contain some of the earliest first stars (first generation; Population III) that produced the chemical elements needed for the later formation of planets and life as we know it.

Galaxies by mass and density

Title	Galaxy	Data	Notes
Least massive galaxy	Segue 2	~550,000 M_Sun	This is not considered a star cluster, as it is held together by the gravitational effects of dark matter rather than just the mutual attraction of the constituent stars, gas and black holes.
Most massive galaxy	ESO 146-IG 005	~30×10¹² M_Sun	Central galaxy in Abell 3827, 1.4 Gly distant.
Most dense galaxy	M85-HCC1		This is an ultra-compact dwarf galaxy
Least dense galaxy
Most massive spiral galaxy	ISOHDFS 27	1.04×10¹² M_Sun	The preceding most massive spiral was UGC 12591
Least massive galaxy with globular cluster(s)	Andromeda I

Galaxies by size

For a comprehensive list of large galaxies, see List of largest galaxies.

Field galaxies

List of field galaxies
Galaxy	Data	Notes
NGC 4555
UGC 2885
SDSS J1021+1312

A field galaxy is a galaxy that does not belong to a larger cluster of galaxies and hence is gravitationally alone.

Interacting galaxies

Galaxies in tidal interaction
Galaxies	Data	Notes
Milky Way Galaxy Large Magellanic Cloud Small Magellanic Cloud		The Magellanic Clouds are being tidally disrupted by the Milky Way Galaxy, resulting in the Magellanic Stream drawing a tidal tail away from the LMC and SMC, and the Magellanic Bridge drawing material from the clouds to the Milky Way galaxy.
Whirlpool Galaxy (NGC 5194, M51a) NGC 5195 (M51b)		The smaller galaxy NGC 5195 is tidally interacting with the larger Whirlpool Galaxy, creating its grand design spiral galaxy architecture.
M81 M82 NGC 3077		These three galaxies interact with each other and draw out tidal tails, which are dense enough to form star clusters. The bridge of gas between these galaxies is known as Arp's Loop.
NGC 6872 and IC 4970 NGC 6872 IC 4970		NGC 6872 is a barred spiral galaxy with a grand design spiral nucleus, and distinct well-formed outer barred-spiral architecture, caused by tidal interaction with satellite galaxy IC 4970.
Tadpole Galaxy		The Tadpole Galaxy tidally interacted with another galaxy in a close encounter, and remains slightly disrupted, with a long tidal tail.

Galaxies in non-merger significant collision
Galaxies	Data	Notes
Arp 299 (NGC 3690 & IC 694)		These two galaxies have recently collided and are now both barred irregular galaxies.

Galaxies disrupted post significant non-merger collisions
Galaxies	Data	Notes
Mayall's Object		This is a pair of galaxies, one which punched through the other, resulting in a ring galaxy.

Galaxy mergers

Galaxies undergoing near-equal merger
Galaxies	Data	Notes
Antennae Galaxies (Ringtail Galaxy, NGC 4038 & NGC 4039, Arp 244)	2 galaxies	Two spiral galaxies currently starting a collision, tidally interacting, and in the process of merger.
Eyes Galaxies (NGC 4435 & NGC 4438, Arp 120)	2 galaxies	Two galaxies which have interacted or still interacting via an off-center collision, both had interacted with M86 in the past.
Butterfly Galaxies (Siamese Twins Galaxies, NGC 4567 & NGC 4568)	2 galaxies	Two spiral galaxies in the process of starting to merge.
Mice Galaxies (NGC 4676, NGC 4676A & NGC 4676B, IC 819 & IC 820, Arp 242)	2 galaxies	Two spiral galaxies currently tidally interacting and in the process of merger.
NGC 520	2 galaxies	Two spiral galaxies undergoing collision, in the process of merger.
NGC 2207 and IC 2163 (NGC 2207 & IC 2163)	2 galaxies	These are two spiral galaxies starting to collide, in the process of merger.
NGC 5090 and NGC 5091 (NGC 5090 & NGC 5091)	2 galaxies	These two galaxies are in the process of colliding and merging.
NGC 7318 (Arp 319, NGC 7318A & NGC 7318B)	2 galaxies	These are two starting to collide
Four galaxies in CL0958+4702	4 galaxies	These four near-equals at the core of galaxy cluster CL 0958+4702 are in the process of merging.
Galaxy protocluster LBG-2377	z=3.03	This was announced as the most distant galaxy merger ever discovered. It is expected that this proto-cluster of galaxies will merge to form a brightest cluster galaxy, and become the core of a larger galaxy cluster.
Galaxy protocluster SPT2349-56	z=4.3 (14 galaxies)	This protocluster is located at 12.4 billion light years from the Earth. Each of these galaxies are forming stars at 1000 times that of the Milky Way, nicknamed the Dusty Red Core.

Recently merged galaxies of near-equals
Galaxy	Data	Notes
Starfish Galaxy (NGC 6240, IC 4625)		This recently coalesced galaxy still has two prominent nuclei.

Galaxies undergoing disintegration by cannibalization
Disintegrating Galaxy	Consuming Galaxy	Notes
Canis Major Dwarf Galaxy	Milky Way Galaxy	The Monoceros Ring is thought to be the tidal tail of the disrupted CMa dg.
Virgo Stellar Stream	Milky Way Galaxy	This is thought to be a completely disrupted dwarf galaxy.
Sagittarius Dwarf Elliptical Galaxy	Milky Way Galaxy	M54 is thought to be the core of this dwarf galaxy.

Objects considered destroyed galaxies
Defunct Galaxy	Destroyer	Notes
Omega Centauri	Milky Way Galaxy	This is now categorized a globular cluster of the Milky Way. However, it is considered the core of a dwarf galaxy that the Milky Way cannibalized.
Mayall II	Andromeda Galaxy	This is now categorized a globular cluster of Andromeda. However, it is considered the core of a dwarf galaxy that Andromeda cannibalized.
Gaia Sausage	Milky Way Galaxy	It is now considered a remnant of a dwarf galaxy that collided with the Milky Way about 8-11 billion years ago. It is the last major merger of the Milky Way in its lifetime.

Galaxies with some other notable feature

Galaxy name	Distance	Constellation	Property	Notes
SDSS J081421.68+522410		Lynx	Giant radio lobes	Also termed Alcyoneus. Its radio lobes are the largest known structure made by a single galaxy.
M87		Virgo		This is the central galaxy of the Virgo Cluster, the central cluster of the Local Supercluster It contains the first black hole ever imaged, in April 2019, by the Event Horizon Telescope.
M102		Draco (Ursa Major)		This galaxy cannot be definitively identified, with the most likely candidate being NGC 5866, and a good chance of it being a misidentification of M101. Other candidates have also been suggested.
NGC 2770		Lynx	"Supernova Factory"	NGC 2770 is referred to as the "Supernova Factory" due to three recent supernovae occurring within it.
Arp 122				Arp 122 is a collision of NGC 6040 and PGC 56942 or NGC 6039.
NGC 3314 (NGC 3314a and NGC 3314b)		Hydra	exact visual alignment	This is a pair of spiral galaxies, one superimposed on another, at two separate and distinct ranges, and unrelated to each other. It is a rare chance visual alignment.
ESO 137-001		Triangulum Australe	"tail" feature	Lying in the galaxy cluster Abell 3627, this galaxy is being stripped of its gas by the pressure of the intracluster medium (ICM), due to its high speed traversal through the cluster, and is leaving a high density tail with large amounts of star formation. The tail features the largest amount of star formation outside of a galaxy seen so far. The galaxy has the appearance of a comet, with the head being the galaxy, and a tail of gas and stars.
Comet Galaxy		Sculptor	interacting with a galaxy cluster	Lying in galaxy cluster Abell 2667, this spiral galaxy is being tidally stripped of stars and gas through its high speed traversal through the cluster, having the appearance of a comet.
4C 37.11	230 Mpc	Perseus	Least separation between binary central black holes, at 24 ly (7.4 pc)	OJ 287 has an inferred pair with a 12-year orbital period, and thus would be much closer than 4C 37.11's pair.
SDSS J150636.30+540220.9 15^h 06^m 36.30^s+54° 02′ 20.9″ ("SDSS J1506+54")	z = 0.608	Boötes	Most efficient star production	Most extreme example in the list of moderate-redshift galaxies with the highest density starbursts yet observed found in the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer data (Diamond-Stanic et al. 2012).
Cosmos Redshift 7	z = 6.604	Sextans	Brightest distant galaxy (z > 6, 12.9 billion light-years)	Galaxy Cosmos Redshift 7 is reported to be the brightest of distant galaxies (z > 6) and to contain some of the earliest first stars (first generation; Population III) that produced the chemical elements needed for the later formation of planets and life as we know it.

Hubble-Space-Telescope-Galaxy-Collection

Galaxies (left/top, right/bottom): NGC 7541, NGC 3021, NGC 5643, NGC 3254, NGC 3147, NGC 105, NGC 2608, NGC 3583, NGC 3147, MRK 1337, NGC 5861, NGC 2525, NGC 1015, UGC 9391, NGC 691, NGC 7678, NGC 2442, NGC 5468, NGC 5917, NGC 4639, NGC 3972, The Antennae Galaxies, NGC 5584, M106, NGC 7250, NGC 3370, NGC 5728, NGC 4424, NGC 1559, NGC 3982, NGC 1448, NGC 4680, M101, NGC 1365, NGC 7329, NGC 3447