Astronomers discover universe's largest structure, Quipu
Astronomers just spotted Quipu, a mind-blowing cosmic structure that stretches more than 1.3 billion light-years and weighs as much as 200 quadrillion solar masses.
Named after Incan knotted cords because of its string-like shape, Quipu is now the largest structure found in the universe.
Quipu and its companions
Quipu—and four other mega-structures—hold together nearly half of nearby galaxy clusters and a big chunk of all matter around us, even though they take up only a small part of space.
Their gravity actually bends light and messes with how galaxies move, making it tricky for scientists to measure things like how fast the universe is expanding.
Mapping these giants
Led by Hans Bohringer at the Max Planck Institute, researchers mapped these giants using X-ray signals from galaxy clusters.
Even though these structures won't last forever, studying them helps us understand how galaxies grow and gives clues about some of the universe's biggest mysteries—like why it's expanding the way it is.