Astronomers have identified potentially the biggest structure in our observable cosmos: an enormous assembly of galaxy clusters and superclusters stretching approximately 1.3 billion light-years wide and encompassing about 200 quadrillion suns' worth of mass. This discovery boggles the imagination with its sheer scale.
The newly discovered structure is called Quipu after an Incan system of counting And recording figures with knots on strings.
Similar to a quipu string, the structure is intricate, consisting of a single primary thread with numerous secondary threads attached. It extends approximately 1.3 billion light-years (over 13,000 times longer than the distance). Milky Way ), possibly making it the biggest structure in the cosmos regarding length, surpassing former title holders like the Laniākea supercluster .
The finding was detailed in a new paper published online. preprint website ArXiv On January 31st. (This document has not yet undergone peer review publication but has been accepted for inclusion in the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics.)
The team stated in their paper, "Quipu is indeed a significant feature clearly visible to the naked eye in the sky map of clusters within the targeted redshift range, even without employing a detection technique."
Related: The James Webb Telescope on Pawonation.com has broken its own record by discovering the most distant galaxies that have ever been observed.
This study forms part of an ongoing initiative aimed at charting the distribution of matter across the universe using various wavelengths of light. Remote cosmic formations exhibit a wavelength displacement towards the redder end of the spectrum. electromagnetic spectrum , a phenomenon referred to as redshift. Although entities exhibiting a redshift between 0 and 0.3 have been thoroughly charted, the investigators centered this research on subjects displaying redshift values ranging from 0.3 to 0.6. Essentially, an increased redshift signifies a higher degree of distance for these celestial bodies.
The largest formations in the cosmos
The celestial formations identified in the recent research were observed at distances ranging approximately from 425 million to 815 million light-years away from our planet. Previous investigations indicate that more extensive configurations might be found further out in space. At present, the leading candidate for being the biggest structure in the universe is the Hercules Corona-Borealis Great Wall , a puzzling aggregation of matter situated approximately 10 billion light-years away from Earth, with an expanse estimated at around 10 billion light-years. Nonetheless, the validity of the Great Wall’s existence continues to be debated.
The Quipu was the most extensive structure identified within the dataset; however, the researchers also uncovered an additional four massive structures. Of these, the smallest was the Shapley supercluster. was previously known As the biggest superstructure found so far, it has since been surpassed by Quipu along with three additional ones: the Serpens-Corona Borealis superstructure, the Hercules supercluster, and the Sculptor-Pegasus superstructure, extending from one constellation to another.
Collectively, these five superstructures encompass 45% of all galaxy clusters, 30% of galaxies, and 25% of the material present within the observable cosmos, as stated by the researchers in their publication. Altogether, they account for 13% of the overall volume of the universe.
Pawonation.commoves in mysterious ways
The researchers additionally identified how this substance impacts the broader environment of the universe. These superstructures influence the cosmic microwave background (CMB), which is the residual microwave radiation from the Big Bang. Big Bang This uniformity is observed throughout Pawonation.com. The study also revealed that the local velocities of these galaxy streams influence measurements of the universe’s general expansion rate: In regions dominated by superstructures, the localized expansion of galaxies can skew the calculation of the universal expansion, referred to as the Hubble constant. Hubble constant Ultimately, the immense gravitational force from such a concentration of mass can bend light, leading to an effect called gravitational lensing that might alter the appearance of far-off celestial objects.
The researchers suggested that future studies might explore the impact of these extensive formations on galactic evolution. Despite being transient—since the universe continually expands, gradually separating cluster groups—their immense scale renders them significant.
The researchers noted that in the future of cosmic evolution, these superstructures will likely fragment into multiple collapsing components. As such, they are temporary arrangements. However, currently, they stand as distinct physical phenomena possessing specific attributes and unique cosmic settings that warrant particular scrutiny.
Post a Comment