Quipu (supercluster)
Quipu is a large-scale superstructure of galaxies of the Universe, a wall of galaxies or galaxy hypercluster composed of knots of galaxy clusters. As of 2025, it is the largest known structure in the Universe, some 1.3 billion light years long (1.3×109 light-years (7.6×1021 mi; 1.2×1022 km)); and the most massive known structure, containing 2×1017 solar masses (4.0×1047 kg; 8.8×1047 lb; 4.0×1044 t),[1][2] or about 200,000 times the mass of the Milky Way.
The structure was discovered by Hans Böhringer and colleagues using data from the ROSAT X-ray satellite, and described in a 2025 paper on arXiv. It was named "quipu" as it is reminiscent of the Andean knotted textile called quipu that Böhringer had seen in a museum near Santiago, Chile, while he was working at the European Southern Observatory.[3][4]
References
[edit]- ^ Böhringer, Hans; Chon, Gayoung; Trümper, Joachim; Kraan-Korteweg, Renee C.; Schartel, Norbert (31 January 2025). "Unveiling the largest structures in the nearby Universe: Discovery of the Quipu superstructure". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 695: A59. arXiv:2501.19236. Bibcode:2025A&A...695A..59B. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202453582. ISSN 0004-6361.
- ^ Wulfeck, Andrew (22 February 2025). "Astronomers discover largest superstructure in cosmos". Fox Weather. FOX.
- ^ Gough, Evan (February 6, 2025). "Astronomers find the largest structure in the universe and name it Quipu". Phys.org.
- ^ Wilkins, Alex (February 7, 2025). "Astronomers have spotted the largest known object in the universe". New Scientist.
See also
[edit]External links
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