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An international team led by Chinese scientists has discovered the biggest atomic cloud in the universe – a surprising finding that could help researchers better understand the origins of galaxies, the South China Morning Post reports.

The cloud, made up of hydrogen atoms, measures about 2 million light years across and is 20 times larger than our Milky Way galaxy, according to a paper published in the journal Nature on Wednesday. One light year is about 9.46 trillion km (5.88 trillion miles).

The discovery was only possible with the help of an ultra-powerful telescope in southwestern China’s Guizhou province. Astronomers from China, Europe and the United States found the cloud after they pointed the Five-hundred-metre Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST) – the world’s largest single-dish radio telescope – in the direction of a group of galaxies known as Stephan’s Quintet.

“Since its discovery 145 years ago, Stephan’s Quintet has been extensively studied by various ground-based and space telescopes,” said lead author Xu Cong from the National Astronomical Observatories under the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing.

High-powered telescopes have captured stunning views of Stephan’s Quintet. For example, Nasa’s James Webb Space Telescope has caught one of the galaxies colliding with another at high speed, which generated a massive shock wave.