Cosmic records

The questions people actually ask, each answered by a single honest superlative computed from real data: one record holder, the top ten behind it, and how we know. For the guided tours, see the worst places to visit and the best.

Each record is one category computed from a measured or derived value, with disputed rows and physically impossible values excluded. We do not crown records we cannot vouch for: there is no "biggest planet" page because the largest catalog radii are model estimates and unvalidated rows, not settled measurements.