Astronomers have made a groundbreaking discovery, uncovering the largest structure in the known universe – a colossal galaxy cluster and supercluster system spanning 1.3 billion light-years across. Dubbed “Quipu” after an Incan system of counting and storing numbers using knots on cords, this massive structure contains 200 quadrillion solar masses.
The Quipu discovery is part of a long-running effort to map the universe’s matter distribution at different wavelengths of light. By analyzing the redshift phenomenon, where distant structures show a shift in their wavelengths toward the red part of the electromagnetic spectrum, researchers identified the largest superstructures in the observable universe.
Quipu itself is estimated to be the longest structure in the universe, outstretching 13,000 times the length of the Milky Way. The discovery was made possible by the detection of the cosmic microwave background (CMB), a remnant of the Big Bang that’s found uniformly across space.
The Quipu system affects the cosmic environment in several ways, including distorting measurements of the universe’s overall expansion and bending light through gravitational lensing. This massive structure is not only a fascinating finding but also provides valuable insights into the evolution of galaxies and the universe as a whole.
Future research will focus on how these large-scale structures have influenced galaxy evolution and how they will break up in the future cosmic evolution. Despite being temporary, Quipu’s sheer size makes it an important discovery that deserves attention.
Source: https://www.yahoo.com/news/astronomers-discover-quipu-single-largest-150000428.html