Alex_Krycek Posted January 12 Share Posted January 12 Very interesting discovery here, regarding the discover of a cosmic megastructure. Such new discoveries are putting the spotlight on the so called "cosmological principle", the notion that the spatial distribution of matter in the universe is equally distributed and isotropic when viewed on a large enough scale. Summary: A 1.3bn light year-sized ring discovered by PhD student in Lancashire appears to defy the cosmological principle assumption. Astronomers have discovered a ring-shaped cosmic megastructure, the proportions of which challenge existing theories of the universe. The so-called Big Ring has a diameter of about 1.3bn light years, making it among the largest structures ever observed. At more than 9bn light years from Earth, it is too faint to see directly, but its diameter on the night sky would be equivalent to 15 full moons. The observations, presented on Thursday at the 243rd meeting of the American Astronomical Society in New Orleans, are significant because the size of the Big Ring appears to defy a fundamental assumption in cosmology called the cosmological principle. This states that above a certain spatial scale, the universe is homogeneous and looks identical in every direction. Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2024/jan/11/newly-discovered-cosmic-megastructure-challenges-theories-of-the-universe 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luc Turpin Posted January 12 Share Posted January 12 2 hours ago, Alex_Krycek said: Very interesting discovery here, regarding the discover of a cosmic megastructure. Such new discoveries are putting the spotlight on the so called "cosmological principle", the notion that the spatial distribution of matter in the universe is equally distributed and isotropic when viewed on a large enough scale. Summary: A 1.3bn light year-sized ring discovered by PhD student in Lancashire appears to defy the cosmological principle assumption. Astronomers have discovered a ring-shaped cosmic megastructure, the proportions of which challenge existing theories of the universe. The so-called Big Ring has a diameter of about 1.3bn light years, making it among the largest structures ever observed. At more than 9bn light years from Earth, it is too faint to see directly, but its diameter on the night sky would be equivalent to 15 full moons. The observations, presented on Thursday at the 243rd meeting of the American Astronomical Society in New Orleans, are significant because the size of the Big Ring appears to defy a fundamental assumption in cosmology called the cosmological principle. This states that above a certain spatial scale, the universe is homogeneous and looks identical in every direction. Full Article: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2024/jan/11/newly-discovered-cosmic-megastructure-challenges-theories-of-the-universe If Wikipedia is accurate, the following cosmic megastructures are larger, in maximum dimension, than the ring-shaped cosmic megastructure: Hurcule-Corona Borealis Great Wall - 9.7bn light years (discovery - 2014) Griant GRB ring - 5.6bn light years (2015) Huge LQG - 4bn light years (2013) Giant Arc - 3.3bn light years (2012) U1.11 LQG - 2.5bn light years (2011) Clowes-Campusano LQG - 2bn light years (1991) Sloan Great Wall - 1.38bn light years (2003) South Pole Wall - 1.37bn light years (2020) I think that I am correct in my statement of larger objects than the ring-shaped cosmic megastructure! As for challenging existing theories of the universe, I will let the experts debate that one. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_largest_cosmic_structures Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luc Turpin Posted January 13 Share Posted January 13 Usually, when a split occurs, a link is provided to the new thread; I do not see one! Am-I looking in the wrong location? 14 minutes ago, Luc Turpin said: Usually, when a split occurs, a link is provided to the new thread; I do not see one! Am-I looking in the wrong location? Got it! moved to cosmology! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoola Posted January 17 Share Posted January 17 in a universe this big, could not the structure be of a statistical occurrence at least once within our light cone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luc Turpin Posted January 17 Share Posted January 17 1 hour ago, hoola said: in a universe this big, could not the structure be of a statistical occurrence at least once within our light cone? Not sure that I understand your statement; can you substantiate? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoola Posted January 17 Share Posted January 17 I meant, given the size of the universe, a structure of such anomalous proportions may be inevitable to happen and still be a random occurrence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luc Turpin Posted January 17 Share Posted January 17 31 minutes ago, hoola said: I meant, given the size of the universe, a structure of such anomalous proportions may be inevitable to happen and still be a random occurrence. But, its not the only one; see listing. And the listing is incomplete Also, this tread has moved to physics, astronomy and cosmology. Maybe we should continue the conversation there. I posted one that asks help understanding light-year. Under Determining Distance - split from consmic megastructure Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swansont Posted January 17 Share Posted January 17 18 minutes ago, Luc Turpin said: Also, this tread has moved to physics, astronomy and cosmology. ! Moderator Note This is in Science News and was not moved Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luc Turpin Posted January 17 Share Posted January 17 1 hour ago, swansont said: ! Moderator Note This is in Science News and was not moved Ok! let's have the conversation here! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swansont Posted January 17 Share Posted January 17 1 hour ago, Luc Turpin said: Ok! let's have the conversation here! This thread is about the news article. If you want another conversation, open a new thread Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luc Turpin Posted January 17 Share Posted January 17 1 hour ago, swansont said: This thread is about the news article. If you want another conversation, open a new thread Here is fine! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iNow Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 1 hour ago, Luc Turpin said: Here is fine! Stop being daft. This isn’t your thread. You’re not on staff. That isn’t your choice to make Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luc Turpin Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 18 minutes ago, iNow said: Stop being daft. This isn’t your thread. You’re not on staff. That isn’t your choice to make You are right! not my call! Will stand down! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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