Newfound Blob

The Newfound Blob is a formation measuring 200 million light-years in width.^[1] It is currently the biggest known object in the universe. Discovered in 2006 by Ryosuke Yamauchi from Tohoku University in Sendai, Japan, and his colleagues, the structure was found in a region of the universe known to contain large concentrations of gas. The blob is a very distant object; the astronomers that discovered it were actually looking at something from 12 billion years ago.^[1] This object is made up of galaxies and large gas bubbles. Some of the gas bubbles that make up this colossal structure are up to 400,000 light-years across,^[2] close to twice the diameter of the Andromeda Galaxy. Some scientists believe that these giant bubbles formed after massive stars born in the early universe exploded as supernovas and ejected their surrounding gases. The galaxies and gas bubbles that are part of this structure are known as Lyman-alpha blobs and line up along three curved filaments, or arms, that formed approximately 2 billion years after the Big Bang.^[2] These filaments were observed with the help of the Subaru and Keck telescopes located on the Mauna Kea volcano in Hawaii.

The Newfound Blob is not only incredibly large, but also very dense; the galaxies located in each of the filaments are four times closer to each other than the universe's average.^[1] Before its discovery, astronomers had predicted the existence of a structure like the Newfound Blob. According to computer models, several of the most massive galaxies originated from a blob like this. These super-galaxies (see super-galaxy) are believed to have formed as a result of these blobs collapsing under their own gravity. Since the densest areas in the universe are thought to be the places where galaxies formed first, the Newfound Blob may be one of the earliest to have formed. This structure may reveal when and how the first galaxies formed and could help us better understand how our own galaxy came to be.

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Ravilious, Kate. "Giant "Blob" is Largest Thing in Universe". National Geographic News. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/07/060731-giant-blob.html. Retrieved June 23, 2011. 
2. ^ ^{a b} Than, Ker. "Newfound Blob is Biggest Thing in the Universe". Space.com. http://www.space.com/2671-newfound-blob-biggest-universe.html. Retrieved June 23, 2011.