extragalactic

adjective

ex·​tra·​ga·​lac·​tic ˌek-strə-gə-ˈlak-tik How to pronounce extragalactic (audio)
: originating or existing outside the Milky Way galaxy
also : of or relating to extragalactic space
extragalactic astronomy

Examples of extragalactic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web That’s no supernova The most common extragalactic transient luminous events, meaning flashes of light that evolve and vanish rapidly, are supernovae. Elizabeth Rayne, Ars Technica, 27 Nov. 2023 This extragalactic neighbor of our home Milky Way galaxy is located almost 200,000 light-years away from Earth and could crash into our home galaxy in about two billion years. Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 29 Nov. 2023 True, astronomers still don’t know the origins of these extragalactic milliseconds-long radio pulses, and until this year fewer than 20 had ever been detected. Yvette Cendes, Discover Magazine, 15 Dec. 2016 Last year, IceCube physicists reported 79 neutrinos coming from the heart of a nearby galaxy called NGC 1068, the first steady source of extragalactic neutrinos pinpointed. Byadrian Cho, science.org, 22 June 2023 See all Example Sentences for extragalactic 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'extragalactic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary

First Known Use

1851, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of extragalactic was in 1851

Dictionary Entries Near extragalactic

Cite this Entry

“Extragalactic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/extragalactic. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

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