The Hercules-Corona Borealis Great Wall (HCB Great Wall) is a massive galaxy filament that is currently the largest known structure in the observable universe. Here's a breakdown of what makes it so remarkable: * Immense Size: It's estimated to be approximately 10 billion light-years in length, and some recent research suggests it could be even larger, possibly up to 15 billion light-years. To put that into perspective, the entire observable universe is about 93 billion light-years in diameter. This means the HCB Great Wall spans a significant portion of it. * Discovery and Identification: It was discovered in 2013 by a team of astronomers who were mapping the distribution of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). GRBs are the most powerful explosions in the universe and are associated with the formation of massive stars, making them good tracers of large-scale structures. The unusual concentration of GRBs in this region pointed to the existence of this colossal structure. * Composition: Like other galaxy filaments, it's a "string" of galaxy groups and clusters, all bound together by gravity. * Location: While named after the constellations Hercules and Corona Borealis, it actually spans a much larger area of the sky, including parts of Lyra, Boötes, and Draco. * Significance and Challenge to Cosmology: The existence of such a massive structure poses a challenge to the cosmological principle, which states that at very large scales, the universe should appear uniform and homogeneous. Structures this large are not easily explained by current cosmological models, leading scientists to re-evaluate their understanding of how the universe evolved and how matter is distributed on the largest scales. It implies that matter may not be as uniformly spread out as previously thought. Scientists continue to study the Hercules-Corona Borealis Great Wall, and future observations with more sensitive instruments may help to further refine its size, shape, and how it came to be.
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Space Sims
What's the Largest structure in the Universe ?🌌
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