Our Galaxy: A Tiny Part of a Gigantic Cosmic Superstructure – And the Discovery of ‘Quipu’

For decades, astronomers have been mapping the vast expanse of the universe, uncovering ever-larger cosmic structures that challenge our understanding of space. From superclusters to the cosmic web, it has become clear that galaxies do not exist in isolation but are part of a vast interconnected system spanning billions of light-years.

Scientists have discovered a new superstructure, named Quipu, that stretches 1.39 billion light-years across and contains the equivalent mass of 200 quadrillion Suns.

Now, in a groundbreaking discovery, scientists have found what may be the largest single structure ever detected in the universe—a colossal cosmic entity named "Quipu."

This superstructure, which groups together galaxy clusters and even clusters of clusters, stretches across an astonishing 1.3 billion light-years and contains 200 quadrillion solar masses of material. Quipu appears to be a massive filament of galaxies, with smaller filaments branching off like cosmic tendrils.

But what does this mean for our place in the universe?

How does Quipu relate to other massive structures, such as Laniakea, the Great Attractor, or the mysterious basins of attraction (BoA)?

And what are the implications of such enormous cosmic formations for our understanding of dark matter, cosmic expansion, and gravitational forces?

Let's take a journey through the largest structures ever discovered, uncovering how our Milky Way fits into this immense cosmic hierarchy.

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The Milky Way’s Place in the Cosmic Landscape

Before we explore Quipu, let's start small—relatively speaking.

Our Milky Way is part of a galactic neighbourhood called the Local Group, which contains around 100 galaxies. This collection, spanning 10 million light-years, is dominated by the Milky Way and its closest large neighbour, Andromeda (M31).

However, the Local Group itself is part of something much larger—the Laniakea Supercluster, a vast structure containing over 100,000 galaxies and stretching 520 million light-years across.

Laniakea, in turn, is influenced by an even greater cosmic force: the Great Attractor, a mysterious gravitational anomaly pulling galaxies toward it.

Yet, even Laniakea may not be the final boundary of our cosmic neighbourhood. Scientists now believe it resides within a massive “basin of attraction” (BoA), possibly 10 times larger.

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Basins of Attraction: A New Cosmic Order?

What Are Basins of Attraction (BoA)?

Astronomers have proposed that the entire universe is divided into “basins of attraction,” or BoAs, which are gravitational regions influencing how galaxies move over billions of light-years.

"The entire Universe can be considered a patchwork of abutting BoAs, just as the terrestrial landscape is separated into watersheds," researchers explain.

However, unlike gravitationally bound structures, such as galaxies or galaxy clusters, BoAs are not held together permanently. Their motion is mostly governed by cosmic expansion, meaning that galaxies within them are drifting apart over time.

Mapping the Cosmic Basins

To study these structures, scientists mapped the motions of 56,000 galaxies, tracking their flows through space. Their research confirmed that Laniakea is nested within a much larger BoA, which also includes the Great Attractor, the Ophiuchus Cluster, and possibly the Sloan Great Wall—one of the biggest known formations in the universe.

However, this study also raised a major new question:

Is the Milky Way even part of Laniakea at all?

Some researchers argue that instead of being in Laniakea, our galaxy belongs to the Shapley Supercluster, an even denser galactic concentration lying 650 million light-years away.

The uncertainty surrounding these massive structures proves that our understanding of the cosmic web is still evolving.

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The Discovery of Quipu: A New Giant Emerges

Amid this ongoing effort to map the largest-scale structures in the universe, astronomers have now identified a new record-holder for the longest cosmic structure ever observed—Quipu.

This image shows the five newly discovered superstructures. Quipu (red) is the largest structure found in the local universe. The others are Shapley (blue), Serpens-Corona Borealis (green), Hercules (purple) and Sculptor-Pegasus (beige). (Image credit: Boehringer et al. / arXiv)

What Is Quipu?

Quipu is an enormous galactic filament stretching across 1.3 billion light-years, named after an ancient Incan counting system that used knotted cords to store numerical data.

Much like a Quipu cord, this superstructure has a main filament with multiple smaller filaments branching off. The discovery was so obvious that astronomers claimed Quipu could be seen directly on sky maps even before using detection algorithms.

"Quipu is actually a prominent structure readily noticeable by eye in a sky map of clusters in the target redshift range," the researchers wrote.

How Was Quipu Discovered?

Scientists studied redshifted light—a phenomenon where galaxies appear more red in color as they move further away due to cosmic expansion. Their analysis focused on galaxies with redshifts between 0.3 and 0.6, equivalent to distances between 425 million and 815 million light-years from Earth.

What they found was astonishing: Quipu is the longest filament ever recorded, outstretching previously known cosmic giants like Laniakea.

However, it is not alone. The researchers identified four more massive superstructures, each rivalling or surpassing previously known galactic formations:

1. The Serpens-Corona Borealis Superstructure

   
   

2. The Hercules Supercluster

   
   

3. The Sculptor-Pegasus Superstructure

   
   

4. The Shapley Supercluster (previously thought to be the universe’s largest)

   
   

Together, these five superstructures contain:

• 45% of all galaxy clusters

• 30% of all galaxies

• 25% of the total matter in the observable universe

  
  

This means that just five structures make up 13% of the universe's total volume!

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What Does Quipu Tell Us About the Universe?

The discovery of Quipu and other massive structures is more than just a new cosmic record—it has profound implications for how matter is distributed, how the universe expands, and even how we measure cosmic distances.

1. Cosmic Expansion and the Hubble Constant

The presence of enormous superstructures like Quipu can distort measurements of the universe’s expansion rate (the Hubble constant). Scientists found that in regions dominated by superstructures, the local rate of expansion differs from the global expansion rate, making it harder to get a precise value for the Hubble constant.

2. Gravitational Lensing and the Cosmic Microwave

Background (CMB)

The sheer mass of these structures affects how light travels across space. The gravitational pull of Quipu and similar formations causes gravitational lensing, bending light and distorting images of the distant universe.

Additionally, these structures leave an imprint on the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB)—the radiation left over from the Big Bang—by modifying the temperature and energy distribution of photons across the universe.

3. The Fate of Quipu and Other Superstructures

Despite their incredible scale, Quipu and other cosmic giants are temporary structures. The expansion of the universe will eventually pull them apart, breaking them into smaller, collapsing units over billions of years.

"In the future cosmic evolution, these superstructures are bound to break up into several collapsing units," the researchers noted.

Yet, for now, they remain some of the most extraordinary formations ever discovered, reshaping our understanding of the universe's grandest architecture.

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Final Thoughts: The Universe is Even Bigger Than We Thought

The discovery of Quipu and its fellow superstructures is yet another reminder that our cosmic journey is far from over.

Each new finding challenges our sense of scale, forcing us to redefine our place in the cosmos. If Quipu is just one piece of an even larger puzzle, what else awaits discovery in the uncharted depths of space?

One thing is certain: The universe is bigger, more complex, and more mysterious than we ever imagined. 🚀✨

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What do you think?

Could there be even larger structures beyond Quipu? Share your thoughts below! 🔭💫