Quipu

Quipu Latest News

Astronomers recently identified what could be the largest structure ever found in the known universe, named Quipu.

About Quipu

• It is a recently discovered superstructure in which galaxies group together in clusters and clusters of clusters (superclusters).
• It contains nearly 70 galactic superclusters. 
• It is the largest known structure in the universe in terms of length.
• Quipu stretches an astonishing 1.3 billion light-years across and contains an estimated 200 quadrillion solar masses.
• It is over 13,000 times the length of the Milky Way.
• It is also hundreds of thousands of times more massive than a single galaxy.
• Inspired by the Incan counting system of knotted cords, the structure mirrors its namesake with a long central filament and multiple branching filaments.
• Despite its vast size, Quipu will not last forever. Scientists believe it will eventually break into smaller, collapsing units. 
• They describe it as a “transient configuration” that will change over time.
• Studying Quipu may help refine cosmological models. It could offer new insights into galaxy evolution and large-scale cosmic dynamics. 

Quipu FAQs

Q1. What is a Galaxy?

Ans. A galaxy is a vast system of stars, gas, dust, dark matter, and other celestial objects bound together by gravity. 

Q2. What is a light year?

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Ans. A light-year is the distance light travels in one Earth year. One light-year is about 6 trillion miles (9 trillion km). 

Q3. What is a Solar mass?

Ans. A solar mass (M☉) is a unit of mass used in astronomy, equal to the mass of the Sun. It is approximately 2 × 10³⁰ kilograms.

Source: N18