The largest structure in the known universe: It's 1.4 billion light-years across.

The largest structure in the known universe: It's 1.4 billion light-years across.  

Astronomers just announced the discovery of the largest structure in the known universe.

It's 1.4 billion light-years across and hundreds of thousands of times more massive than a single galaxy, like the Milky Way.

Named the Quipu superstructure, after an ancient Incan counting system of knotted ropes, it contains nearly 70 galactic superclusters. Using data from the German ROSAT X-ray satellite, researchers mapped out galaxy clusters and identified how they might be connected, revealing a massive structure that immediately stood out. Quipu surpasses previous record-holders like the Sloan Great Wall, further challenging our understanding of cosmic structure and scale.

The discovery of such an immense structure raises questions about the fundamental cosmological principle, which assumes the universe should appear uniform at large scales. Some scientists argue that structures like Quipu contradict this principle, while others believe they simply push the boundaries of what we consider "large enough" for uniformity to emerge. Additionally, it remains uncertain whether the galaxies in Quipu are gravitationally bound or will drift apart over time as the universe expands. Regardless, this finding deepens our knowledge of the universe’s vast complexity and fuels ongoing debates about the nature of cosmic evolution.

Learn more: https://arxiv.org/abs/2501.19236

Alle reacties:

3,5 d.3,5 d.