Largest measured structure in the universe consists of 68 galaxy clusters
Thanks to a space telescope that has been switched off for more than 25 years, a research group has identified a gigantic superstructure in the universe.
Image of about 1000 galaxies forming a single galaxy cluster
(Image: © ESA/Euclid/Euclid Consortium/NASA, Bildbearbeitung durch J.-C. Cuillandre, G. Anselmi; CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO)
Using data from a German space telescope that was shut down more than 24 years ago, a research group has found the largest superstructure ever reliably measured in space. This has now been announced by the Max Planck Society, two of whose institutes were involved in the discovery. The giant structure, christened "Quipu", is made up of 68 galaxy clusters that are strung together and held together by dark matter. The superstructure is 1.4 billion light years long and therefore 300 million light years longer than the previous record holder, the so-called "Sloan Great Wall". Potentially larger structures are therefore not measured as reliably.
(Image:Â MPE)
Clusters of galaxies as lighthouses
For their work, the research group used a catalog of galaxy clusters in the nearby universe, which was created with the help of the Rosat X-ray satellite. The German space observatory was launched into space on a space shuttle in 1990 and was active until 1999. Researchers then worked on determining the clusters of galaxies identified with it more precisely and calculating their distances. The result was a three-dimensional map on which the structure now presented is immediately apparent. Like lighthouses on a coastline, the associated galaxy clusters would trace the distribution of matter and dark matter.
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The overall map covers the universe at a distance of up to one billion light years, explains the Max Planck Society. The superstructure now presented is by far the largest of these. Such structures can therefore influence measurements of the Hubble constant and the microwave background, which is why the discovery is so important. The group named the object after the term used in Quechua to describe the Inca's knot writing. The structure resembles this and many of the original quipus are on display in Chile's capital Santiago de Chile. Not far away, the galaxy clusters were measured with the instruments of the European Southern Observatory. The research work will soon be presented in the journal Astronomy and Astrophysis.
(mho)
