Quipu Superstructure
- 13 Feb 2025
In News:
Astronomers have discovered the largest known cosmic structure, named Quipu, in a study led by Hans Bohringer of the Max Planck Institute. The findings are part of efforts to map matter distribution in the universe using redshift data between 0.3 to 0.6, revealing some of the most distant known objects.
Key Features of Quipu:
Attribute Description
Type Superstructure (clusters of galaxy superclusters)
Length ~1.3 billion light-years (Over 13,000 times the Milky Way’s size)
Mass ~200 quadrillion (2 × 10¹?) solar masses
Components ~70 galactic superclusters
Shape Central filament with multiple branching filaments (named after the Incan “Quipu” cord system)
Cosmic Significance:
- Gravitational Lensing (GL): Due to its enormous mass, Quipu bends light from background objects, distorting sky images.
- Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB): Its gravitational field causes fluctuations in the CMB—the relic radiation from the Big Bang.
- Hubble Constant Impact: Quipu and similar structures distort measurements of the Universe’s expansion rate.
Scientific Context:
- Superstructures: Extremely large arrangements of matter including groups of galaxy clusters and superclusters.
- Quipu is hundreds of thousands of times more massive than a single galaxy.
- Discovered at a distance of 425 to 815 million light-years from Earth.
Other Superstructures Identified:
Alongside Quipu, astronomers identified four other massive structures:
- Shapley Supercluster
- Serpens-Corona Borealis Superstructure
- Hercules Supercluster
- Sculptor-Pegasus Superstructure
Together, these five structures:
- Contain ~45% of all galaxy clusters
- Include ~30% of galaxies
- Hold ~25% of the matter in the universe
- Occupy ~13% of the universe’s volume
Future Evolution:
- Scientists consider Quipu a "transient configuration".
- It is expected to break into smaller collapsing units in the future, altering cosmic structures over time.