Latest news with #Quipu
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
'It's huge, and it's been hidden for this whole time': Gigantic, glow-in-the-dark cloud near Earth surprises astronomers
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Astronomers have discovered the closest known molecular cloud to Earth, giving them a rare close-up view of the cosmic recycling of matter that fuels the creation of new stars and planets. Named "Eos" after the Greek goddess of dawn, the newfound cloud is an enormous, crescent-shaped blob of hydrogen gas located just 300 light-years from Earth. At roughly 100 light-years wide, it spans the equivalent of about 40 Earth moons lined up side by side, making it one of the largest structures in the sky. "It's huge, and it's been hidden for this whole time," Blakesley Burkhart, an associate professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Rutgers University in New Jersey who led the discovery, told Live Science. Despite its enormous size and relatively close proximity to Earth, Eos had thus far eluded detection due to its low content of carbon monoxide (CO) — a bright, easily detectable chemical signature astronomers typically rely on to identify molecular clouds. Instead, the researchers detected Eos through the fluorescent glow of hydrogen molecules within it — a novel approach that could reveal many similarly hidden clouds throughout the galaxy. "There definitely are more CO-dark clouds waiting to be discovered," Burkhart said. Molecular hydrogen is the most abundant substance in the universe. By discovering and studying hydrogen-filled clouds like Eos, astronomers could uncover previously undetected hydrogen reservoirs, thereby allowing them to more precisely gauge the amount of material available for star and planet formation across the universe. The researchers reported the discovery in a paper published April 28 in the journal Nature Astronomy. Burkhart discovered Eos while analyzing 20-year-old data from a spectrograph aboard the Korean Science and Technology Satellite-1, which was launched into Earth orbit in 2003 to map the distribution of hot gas in the Milky Way. Related: Astronomers discover 'Quipu', the single largest structure in the known universe Similar to how a prism splits visible light, the spectrograph on board the satellite broke down far-ultraviolet light into a spectrum of wavelengths. This enabled scientists to identify emissions from different molecules. In what seemed to be an empty region of the sky, data cataloging of the hydrogen molecules revealed Eos to be "literally glowing in the dark," Burkhart said in a Rutgers statement. "It was very serendipitous," she told Live Science. "I was looking at this data and saw this structure. I was like, 'Huh, I don't know what that is. That's unique.'" Eos has been sculpted into its crescent shape through interactions with a nearby colossal feature in the sky — the North Polar Spur, a vast region of ionized gas that extends from the plane of the Milky Way all the way toward the northern celestial pole. Eos' shape aligns perfectly with the North Polar Spur at high latitudes, Burkhart said, indicating that the energy and radiation from this massive structure, likely driven by past supernovas or stellar winds, have interacted and influenced the surrounding gas, including Eos. Simulations tracing Eos' evolution — particularly how its molecular hydrogen reservoir is torn apart by incoming photons and high-energy cosmic rays from the North Polar Spur and other sources — suggest it will evaporate in about 6 million years, the new study found. A follow-up study of Eos searched for signs of recent or ongoing star formation with data from the European Space Agency's recently retired Gaia space telescope. The findings, which have yet to be peer-reviewed, suggest the cloud has not undergone any substantial bursts of star formation in the past. However, it remains uncertain whether the cloud will begin to form stars before it dissipates, Burkhart said. RELATED STORIES —'It's answering one of the questions of the century': Scientists may finally know where the oldest gold in the universe came from —Astronomers discover giant 'bridge' in space that could finally solve a violent galactic mystery —James Webb Space Telescope finds a wild black hole growth spurt in galaxies at 'cosmic noon' Burkhart and her colleagues are developing a mission concept for a NASA spacecraft named after the newly discovered molecular cloud. This proposed Eos space telescope would observe in far-ultraviolet wavelengths to measure the molecular hydrogen content in clouds across the Milky Way, including its namesake, to conduct a census of the formation and destruction of molecular hydrogen gas. "There's still tons of open questions," she said. "We're just getting started."
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Largest Structure in The Universe May Be 50% Larger Than We Thought
The largest known structure in the Universe may be even larger than the large we thought it was. A re-examination of the distribution of powerful space explosions suggests that the Hercules-Corona Borealis Great Wall, a cluster of galaxies previously estimated to be 10 billion light-years long, could actually be as large as 15 billion light-years in size. That's not only mind-blowing in scale, but poses a huge challenge to our understanding of the Universe. The findings have been submitted for publication, and can be read on the preprint server arXiv. The Hercules-Corona Borealis Great Wall (or Great Wall, for short) was discovered more than a decade ago, when astronomers noticed that gamma-ray bursts were happening in a concentration that was higher than the expected distribution. Gamma-ray bursts are the most powerful explosions in the Universe, produced during extreme events such as the core-collapse supernova birth of a black hole and the collision of two neutron stars. Since black holes and neutron stars both form from massive stars, gamma-ray bursts are associated with the populations of massive stars that are usually found in galaxies. Because they are so bright, gamma-ray bursts can be observed across enormous distances, and their concentrations can be used as a proxy to map galaxy clusters. The study of 283 gamma-ray bursts is what led astronomers István Horváth, Jon Hakkila, and Zsolt Bagoly to report the discovery of the Great Wall in 2014. Now, the three scientists have joined a larger team to conduct a more detailed study of gamma-ray bursts across the sky to try to get a more accurate sense of the scale of the Great Wall. They have closely examined 542 gamma-ray bursts with known redshifts – that is, the extent to which their light has been stretched to redder wavelengths by the expansion of the Universe, thus providing a confident measure of distance. Their results showed that the Great Wall may extend from a redshift of 0.33 to a redshift of 2.43 – a total distance of around 15 billion light-years (the observable Universe is around 93 billion light-years across). It's a finding that makes the problem posed by the Great Wall even more pronounced. This is because our standard model of the evolution of the Universe is founded on something called the cosmological principle. This states that, on large enough scales, the Universe is homogeneous, or 'smooth', in all directions. Each section of the Universe should look more or less like every other section of the Universe, with no major inconsistencies or bumps. This has been confirmed by multiple lines of evidence. A structure larger than around 1.2 billion light-years would be considered a major inconsistency, and we've found quite a few of those. A super-structure called Quipu measures about 1.3 billion light-years wide, while the Sloan Great Wall spans around 1.37 billion light-years. The discovery of a similar structure called the South Pole Wall, also around 1.37 billion light-years across, was announced in 2020. The Clowes-Campusano LQG group of galaxies is 2 billion light-years across, the Giant Arc is around 3.3 billion light-years across, and the Huge Large Quasar Group is 4 billion. Then there's the Great Wall, which at 10 billion light-years across, was already an extreme outlier. The new results have upped the ante. Previously, the Great Wall's entire existence was debated. The new results show that evidence of the structure is not a statistical fluctuation or a sampling bias. It appears to be very much real. What the data means beyond that – what the structure tells us about the Universe and its evolution – has not yet been explored. However, what we do know is that there's a whole lot about the Universe that we don't know, and that we can't really make sense of yet. Somewhere out there, the answers are waiting. It's discoveries like this that are inching us ever closer to finding them. The team's findings have been submitted for publication, and are available on arXiv. First Utterly Alone Black Hole Confirmed Roaming The Cosmos Rare 'Smiley Face' Moon About to Hit The Sky With Venus And Saturn Hubble Celebrates 35 Years by Gifting Us 4 Breathtaking Cosmic Images
Yahoo
09-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Scientists Intrigued by Galactic Structure That's 1.4 Billion Light-Years Wide
Scientists say they've uncovered the "largest known galactic structure" — a cosmic monster that spans a mind-boggling 1.4 billion light-years, which is around 14,000 times the diameter of our own Milky Way galaxy. The team, led by scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Physics, made the discovery after analyzing data as part of the ROSAT X-ray satellite sky survey. They found that the structure — dubbed "Quipu" after strings with knots used by the Incas for bookkeeping — stretched across huge swathes of the night sky. The team believes it's largely composed of dark matter, the invisible substance believed to account for 85 percent of all mass in the universe. The finding could have considerable implications for our understanding of the larger structures lurking in the universe and how to accurately map them. "If you look at the distribution of the galaxy clusters in the sky in a spherical shell with a distance of 416 to 826 million light-years, you immediately notice a huge structure that stretches from high northern latitudes to almost the southern end of the sky," said project lead and Max Planck Institute associate professor Hans Böhringer in a statement. Quipu's immense length appears to break the previous record set by the "Sloan Great Wall," which stretches around 1.1 billion light years in a much more distant part of the universe. But as Live Science points out, there might be even larger structures still, such as the Hercules Corona-Borealis Great Wall, a superstructure that spans an estimated 10 billion light-years across, another 10 billion light-years from Earth. Whether it indeed exists, however, remains a topic of contention among scientists. For their latest study, accepted for publication in the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics, the Max Planck team analyzed an expansive catalogue of galaxy clusters, which was created using data collected by the Max Planck Institute for extraterrestrial Physics' ROSAT X-ray satellite in 1990. Apart from Quipu, the team also discovered three other superstructures they're calling the Serpens-Corona Borealis, the Hercules, and the Sculptor-Pegasus. In addition to Quipu and the Shapley supercluster, a concentration of galaxies in our nearby universe, the five structures contain an estimated 25 percent of all the matter in the observable universe, according to the researchers, or 13 percent of its volume. The team argued in its paper that the findings could be "important for astrophysical research," such as the "study of the environmental dependence of galaxy evolution as well as for precision tests of cosmological models." The researchers also suggest these superstructures won't stick around forever. "In the future cosmic evolution, these superstructures are bound to break up into several collapsing units," they concluded in their paper. "They are thus transient configurations. But at present they are special physical entities with characteristic properties and special cosmic environments deserving special attention." More on superstructures: Scientists Working to Explain "Superstructures" on Ocean Floor
Yahoo
23-02-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Astronomers discover largest superstructure in cosmos
A team of international astronomers has identified what is believed to be the largest known superstructure in the cosmos, a discovery that could reshape our understanding of outer space. According to the scientists on the team, the discovery was made by ROAST, a German-operated satellite telescope, and the superstructure has been named "Quipu." Quipu is estimated to span an astonishing 1.4 billion light-years in width and contains approximately 68 galaxy clusters. "If you look at the distribution of the galaxy clusters in the sky within a spherical shell, ranging from 416 to 826 million light-years, you immediately notice a massive structure that stretches from high northern latitudes to nearly the southern end of the sky," Hans Böhringer, the project leader, explained in a statement. This discovery surpasses the size of the Sloan Great Wall, a galaxy cluster that measured around 1.1 billion light-years in length and was discovered in 2003. Future Of Nasa's Mega Moon Rocket Appears In Doubt Following Major Boeing Announcement Scientists noted that the newly discovered structure resembles an ancient script, with long fiber strands woven throughout. This visual similarity led to its name "Quipu," which is derived from the Incan word for knot. The scientists also chose the name due to the European Southern Observatory in Chile playing a role in the discovery, which is near the former home of the Inca Empire. By detecting radiation emitted by the galaxy clusters, scientists were able to confirm the presence of at least four other superstructures nearby. These structures are thought to account for 45% of galaxy clusters, 30% of galaxies and 25% of the matter in the universe. "For a precise determination of cosmological parameters, we need to understand the effects of the local large-scale structure of the universe on the measurements," researchers stated. Space Debris Lights Up Night Sky Across Midwest The superstructures are believed to be vast enough to distort the light from distant objects, but scientists warn they won't last indefinitely and will eventually break apart as part of their natural evolution. The discovery is seen as a significant step forward in mapping out the multiverse but likely won't be the last time that a superstructure is article source: Astronomers discover largest superstructure in cosmos
Yahoo
22-02-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Astronomers discover 'Quipu,' the single largest structure in the known universe
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Astronomers have discovered what may be the largest-scale structure in the known universe — a group of galaxy clusters and clusters of galaxy clusters that spans roughly 1.3 billion light-years across and contains a mind-boggling 200 quadrillion solar masses. The newfound structure is dubbed Quipu after an Incan system of counting and storing numbers using knots on cords. Like a Quipu cord, the structure is complex, made up of one long filament and multiple side filaments. It spans roughly 1.3 billion light-years (more than 13,000 times the length of the Milky Way), potentially making it the largest object in the universe in terms of length, beating out previous record-holders such as the Laniākea supercluster. The discovery was shared in a new paper posted on the preprint website ArXiv on Jan. 31. (The paper has not yet been published in a peer reviewed journal, but has been accepted by the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics.) "Quipu is actually a prominent structure readily noticeable by eye in a sky map of clusters in the target redshift range, without the help of a detection method," the team wrote in the paper. Related: James Webb Space Telescope smashes its own record to find the earliest galaxies that ever existed The research is part of a long-running effort to map the matter distribution of the universe at different wavelengths of light. Distant structures in the universe show a shift in their wavelengths toward the red part of the electromagnetic spectrum, a phenomenon known as redshift. While objects with a redshift of up to 0.3 have been well-mapped, the researchers focused the new study on redshifts of 0.3 to 0.6. The greater the redshift, the more distant the objects. The structures reported in the new study were all detected between roughly 425 million and 815 million light-years from Earth. Prior studies suggest that even larger structures exist deeper into the cosmos. The current contender for the largest structure in the universe is the Hercules Corona-Borealis Great Wall, a mysterious concentration of matter located roughly 10 billion light-years from Earth, and spanning an estimated 10 billion light-years across. However, the Great Wall's existence remains disputed. Quipu was the largest superstructure the researchers discovered in their datasets, but they also found four more giant structures. The smallest, the Shapley supercluster, was previously known as the largest superstructure ever discovered. It's now been eclipsed by Quipu, plus three others: The Serpens-Corona Borealis superstructure, the Hercules supercluster, and the Sculptor-Pegasus superstructure, which stretches between the two constellations that give it its name. Together, these five superstructures contain 45% of the galaxy clusters, 30% of the galaxies and 25% of the matter in the observable universe, the researchers reported in the paper. In total, they make up 13% of the universe's volume. The researchers also detected the ways that this matter affects the overall environment in the universe. The superstructures affect the cosmic microwave background (CMB), the microwave radiation left over from the Big Bang that's found uniformly across space. The researchers also discovered that the local velocity of these streams of galaxies affects measurements of the universe's overall expansion: Where the superstructures reign, the local expansion of galaxies can distort the measurement of the overall universe's expansion, known as the Hubble constant. Finally, the gravitational pull of so much matter can cause a bending of light known as gravitational lensing, which could distort images of the distant sky. RELATED STORIES —5 fascinating facts about the Big Bang, the theory that defines the history of the universe —The universe is expanding too fast for physics to explain —A cosmic 'CT scan' shows the universe is far more complex than expected Future research could examine how these large-scale structures have affected the evolution of galaxies, the researchers wrote. Though the structures are only temporary — the universe is always expanding, slowly pulling clusters apart — their sheer size makes them important. "In the future cosmic evolution, these superstructures are bound to break up into several collapsing units," the researchers wrote. "They are thus transient configurations. But at present they are special physical entities with characteristic properties and special cosmic environments deserving special attention."
