Largest Structure in Universe Would Take 4 Billion Years to Cross: Quasar Group Defies Explanation By Scientists

Scientists have discovered the largest structure in the universe, a collection of quasars that spans over 4 billion light years of the primordial universe.

In fact, it's so large, it shouldn't exist.

The cluster of 73 megastars -- each with the mass of an entire galaxy -- is more than three times larger than current cosmological theory allows.

"While it is difficult to fathom the scale of this Large Quasar Group, we can say quite definitely it is the largest structure ever seen in the entire universe," said Roger Clowes, an astronomer with the University of Central Lancashire.

"This is hugely exciting, not least because it runs counter to our current understanding of the scale of the universe," Clowes said.

It also may give some insight into the formation of the universe.

"Quasars are the cores of galaxies during the early days of the universe," writes Clay Dillow at Popular Science.

"Periodically, these cosmological artifacts emit huge amounts of extremely bright light, which makes them visible across vast distances of space. This LQG is so far away that it looks as it did when the universe was just 770 million years old. It is hands down the brightest object we've ever observed out there."

Fortunately for both science and scientists, models and theories are meant to be updated.

Previous findings of huge quasar clusters have led to estimates of the upper limits of size in the universe to be increased, and the new findings, after verification, may do so again.

Or it could lead to new questions about the general assumptions physicists have about the universe.

"The large cluster that the team has found could represent the first hint of a new, improved threshold. Or if more observations identify it as a truly rare structure, it could indicate that the universe might not be so uniform after all, forcing a major overhaul of theories about how the universe has evolved," writes Pete Spotts in the Christian Science Monitor.

"For example, some directions of the sky would be special; the universe would not expand at the same rate in all directions," says Avi Loeb, head of the astronomy department at Harvard University.