“Quipu” is the Largest Structure in the Universe

Quipu (red). The others are Shapley (blue), Serpens-Corona Borealis (green), Hercules (purple), and Sculptor-Pegasus (beige).  ©Bohringer et al. 2025

“Quipu” is the Largest Structure in the Universe more than 13,000 times the length of the Milky Way and contains a mind-boggling 200 quadrillion solar masses!

Astronomers have found a massive cosmic structure called “Quipu,” named after an Incan counting system. Stretching 1.3 billion light-years across, it’s 13,000 times bigger than the Milky Way!

While the Hercules-Corona Borealis Great Wall was once thought to be the largest, its existence is debated, making Quipu a strong contender.

This figure shows galaxy distribution in density gradients. The density ratio to the average density is shown by six contour levels: 0 – 0.23 (black), 0.23 – 0.62 (dark blue), 0.62 – 1.13 (light blue), 1.13 – 1.9 (grey), 1.9 – 3.7 (olive), and > 3.7 (white). Credit Bohringer et al. 2025.

This discovery is part of a study that identified five superclusters holding a large portion of the universe’s galaxies and matter. Quipu appears to have a powerful gravitational pull, even affecting the movement of our Local Group of galaxies. However, scientists believe it’s only temporary and will eventually break apart into smaller pieces.

source Cornell University