Scientists Discover the Largest Structure in the Universe - Measuring Over 1.3 Billion Light-Years

It is located approximately 420-815 million light-years away from Earth.

An international team of researchers has discovered the largest known cosmic structure - Quipu. This gigantic formation, consisting of thousands of galactic clusters and superclusters, stretches over 1.3 billion light-years and contains about 200 quadrillion solar masses. The object is named after the quipu - an ancient Incan system of knotted counting, as its shape resembles threads with knots.

Scientists conducted an X-ray survey called CLASSIX, studying clusters of galaxies that emit X-rays through heated intergalactic gas. This method allows for the detection of the densest and most massive structures in the universe. As a result of the study, five superstructures were identified, the largest of which is Quipu. They are located at a distance of 130-250 megaparsecs (approximately 420-815 million light-years) from Earth.

Quipu and the other discovered superstructures have a colossal impact on the surrounding space. They contain 45% of all known galaxy clusters, 30% of all galaxies, and 25% of all matter in the universe. Their gravity alters the propagation of the cosmic microwave background radiation left over from the Big Bang, creating an integrated Sachs-Wolfe effect. Additionally, they introduce errors in the measurement of the Hubble constant - a key parameter describing the rate of expansion of the universe. Superstructures create additional flows of matter that overlay cosmological expansion and cause gravitational lensing, distorting the images of distant objects and affecting the accuracy of cosmological models.

According to scientists' calculations, superstructures like Quipu are not stable formations. Over time, they will break apart into more compact, gravitationally bound groups of galaxies. However, at the current stage of the universe's evolution, they represent unique objects that can help scientists better understand the formation of cosmic structures and refine models of the universe's development.