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What Is The Biggest Thing In The Universe?

History of the Universe・40 minutes read

Superclusters are massive structures containing thousands of galaxies, with our Milky Way in the Lanaka supercluster, while cosmic voids, the largest objects in the Universe, are vast empty regions devoid of galaxies shaping the cosmic web. The existence and evolution of supervoids, like the Aridus supervoid and the Giant Void, challenge cosmological understanding, stretching beyond our comprehension and questioning the homogeneity of the universe.

Insights

  • Superclusters, massive structures containing thousands of galaxies, are named after constellations and play a crucial role in defining the large-scale structure of the universe.
  • Voids, vast empty regions devoid of galaxies, challenge existing cosmological theories, revealing a complex network of cosmic objects and offering insights into the expansion and accelerated expansion of the universe.

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Recent questions

  • What are superclusters?

    Massive structures containing thousands of galaxies.

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Summary

00:00

"Exploring Superclusters and Cosmic Voids"

  • In 1985, cosmologists discovered superclusters, massive structures containing tens of thousands of galaxies, with our Milky Way nestled in one known as Lanaka.
  • Superclusters can be several hundred million to 10 billion light years long, holding over 10 million billion Suns worth of material.
  • Superclusters are named after the constellations they are observed through, with the largest ones like the King Gora supercluster discovered in 2022.
  • Cosmic voids, the largest objects in the Universe, are vast empty regions devoid of galaxies, defining the superclusters and our existence.
  • The first Universe simulations in the 1960s were limited, unlike the recent Flamingo Universe simulation with 300 billion elements, showcasing Opera as a secure browser option.
  • In 1978, astronomers Thompson and Gregory discovered voids in the distribution of galaxies, challenging the existing cosmological theories.
  • The discovery of voids led to the study of the large-scale structure of the universe, revealing a complex network of clusters, filaments, walls of galaxies, and voids.
  • The Lenux Globe from 1510 features the Latin phrase "Here be dragons" along the eastern coast of Asia, reflecting the unknown and fantastical elements in medieval mapmaking.
  • Our local universe includes the Milky Way, the Andromeda Galaxy, the Local Group, the Virgo Cluster, and the Virgo Supercluster, showcasing the vastness and interconnectedness of cosmic objects.
  • The Virgo Supercluster, part of the larger Lania Supercluster, contains up to 500 individual groups and clusters with over 100,000 galaxies, forming a massive and intricate structure in the universe.

18:39

"Exploring Lanaka: Cosmic Web and Voids"

  • The scale of Lanaka, spanning half a billion light years, is likened to a city compared to a person, housing quadrillions of stars, akin to the number of ants on Earth.
  • Lanaka is part of the cosmic web, a vast structure connecting superclusters across the observable universe, with galaxies appearing as tiny dots within it.
  • The cosmic web is described as a network of galaxies, with massive clusters like Virgo connected by thin filaments and broad walls sectioning off portions of the cosmos.
  • Cosmic voids, regions with extremely low matter density, are defined as areas with less than 20% of the cosmic average density, contrasting starkly with galaxies.
  • Voids are almost entirely devoid of dark matter, unlike the rest of the universe where dark matter dominates, shaping the cosmic web.
  • Astronomers have discovered tens of thousands of voids in the universe, ranging from small pockets within superclusters to vast voids separating superclusters by billions of light years.
  • The formation of voids and super voids is explained by the gravitational attraction of matter, with voids expanding as matter is pulled into surrounding structures over billions of years.
  • Cosmologists have adopted a watershed technique from geography to define voids as low-density regions surrounded by high-density structures, aiding in mapping and cataloging voids.
  • Void analysis reveals a hierarchy of voids, with the largest voids containing dim red galaxies arranged in a cosmic web pattern, nested within even deeper levels of voids.
  • The existence of super voids is hinted at by anomalies in the cosmic microwave background, particularly a cold spot that defies standard cosmological models, possibly indicating the presence of vast super voids.

37:59

"Evolution of Cosmic Voids: A Mystery"

  • The supervoid evolved out of the primordial Cosmic web over time.
  • Light from the CMB initially entered a relatively small and shallow supervoid.
  • The supervoid expanded and deepened over hundreds of millions to billions of years.
  • The cold spot in the supervoid resulted from the sapped energy of the CMB light.
  • The Aridus supervoid and the Giant Void are significant supervoids.
  • The KBC void, potentially up to 3 billion light years in diameter, was proposed by researchers to explain discrepancies in the Hubble constant.
  • The existence of the KBC void is disputed, challenging cosmological understanding.
  • Voids and super voids stretch beyond our understanding of cosmology, questioning homogeneity.
  • The expansion of the universe and the accelerated expansion due to dark energy are key phenomena.
  • Cosmic voids, filled with dark energy, offer insights into the universe's past and future.
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