Scientists at the University of Central Lancashire have discovered a gigantic, ring-shaped structure in space. (...)
They say that it is so big it challenges our understanding of the universe. (...)
Such large structures should not exist according to one of the guiding principles of astronomy, called the cosmological principle. This states that all matter is spread smoothly across the Universe.
Although stars, planets and galaxies are huge clumps of matter in our eyes, in the context of the size of the universe they are insignificant - and the theory is that much bigger patches of matter should not form.
The Big Ring is by no means the first likely violation of the cosmological principle and so suggests that there is another, yet to be discovered, factor at play. (...)
"This is the seventh large structure discovered in the universe that contradicts the idea that the cosmos is smooth on the largest scales. If these structures are real, then it's definitely food for thought for cosmologists and the accepted thinking on how the universe has evolved over time," (Dr Robert Massey) said. (...)
"So the question is how do you make such large structures?(" asked Professor Don Pollacco.)
"It's incredibly hard to conceive of any mechanism that could produce these structures so instead the authors speculate that we are seeing a relic from the early universe where waves of high and low density material are 'frozen' in to extragalactic medium."
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