Largest structure defies smooth cosmic theory

摘要

A column of galaxies 4 billion light years long has grabbed the accolade as the largest known structure in the universe. It also challenges Einstein's idea that, on large scales, the cosmos looks the same in every direction.The hunt for cosmic giants focuses on quasars, brightly glowing cores found at the centre of some galaxies. These tend to clump together in large quasar groups (LQGs), in which each quasar is closer to another member of the group than those outside.