Discovery of 'Quipu': The Largest Superstructure in the Nearby Universe Comprising 68 Galaxy Clusters

Mon 24th Feb, 2025

Recent astronomical research has unveiled a massive superstructure in the universe known as 'Quipu', identified through data from a German space telescope that has been inactive for over 25 years. This significant discovery was announced by the Max Planck Society, with contributions from two of its institutes.

The Quipu superstructure consists of 68 galaxy clusters interconnected and held together by dark matter. Stretching an impressive 1.4 billion light-years, it surpasses the previous record holder, the 'Sloan Great Wall', by 300 million light-years. Researchers note that larger structures may exist but have not been accurately measured.

The research team utilized a catalog of galaxy clusters in the nearby universe compiled using data from the ROSAT X-ray satellite, which was launched in 1990 and operational until 1999. Following its deactivation, scientists focused on refining the identification and distance measurements of the galaxy clusters detected by ROSAT. This effort culminated in a three-dimensional map that revealed the newly discovered structure, akin to lighthouse beacons marking the distribution of matter and dark matter.

The comprehensive map extends up to a billion light-years into space, with the Quipu superstructure identified as the most significant formation within it. Such structures are essential as they can impact measurements of the Hubble constant and cosmic microwave background radiation, highlighting the importance of this discovery. The name 'Quipu' is inspired by the Incan knotted string system, which resembles the structure of this cosmic formation; many original quipus are displayed in Santiago, Chile, not far from where astronomers measured the galaxy clusters using instruments from the European Southern Observatory.

This groundbreaking research will soon be published in the journal 'Astronomy and Astrophysics'.


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