February 16, 2024
Astronomers at the University of Central Lancashire, UK, have discovered a huge ring-shaped structure comprising galaxies and galaxy clusters, located 9.2 billion light years away from Earth. The structure, which has been named ‘Big Ring’, has a circumference of approximately 4 billion light years and a diameter of 1.3 billion light years. According to astronomers, the existence of this structure is mysterious as it violates the cosmological principle. As per the principle, the distribution of matter in the universe is uniform and structures like the Big Ring should not exist. Astronomers have discovered seven enormous structures that contradict the cosmological principle to date, including the Big Ring. The existence of these structures challenges their assumptions of the universe’s evolution.
Did You Know?
The Milky Way galaxy contains between 100 billion and 400 billion stars.
Image for representational purposes
