class="wikitable sortable sticky-header"
|+List of the largest cosmic structures |
style="background:#efefef; white-space:nobr;"| Structure name (year discovered)
! style="background:#ffdead;"| Maximum dimension (in light-years)
! class="unsortable"|Notes |
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Hercules–Corona Borealis Great Wall (2014)[{{cite journal|last1=Horvath|first1=Istvan|last2=Bagoly|first2=Zsolt|last3=Hakkila|first3=Jon|last4=Tóth|first4=L. Viktor|title=Anomalies in the GRB spatial distribution|journal=Proceedings of Science|pages=78|arxiv=1507.05528|bibcode = 2014styd.confE..78H |year=2014|doi=10.22323/1.233.0078 |doi-access=free }}] | 9,700,000,000–10,000,000,000[{{cite journal|last1=Horvath|first1=Istvan|last2=Hakkila|first2=Jon|last3=Bagoly|first3=Zsolt|date=2014|title=Possible structure in the GRB sky distribution at redshift two|journal=Astronomy & Astrophysics|volume=561|pages=id.L12|arxiv=1401.0533|bibcode=2014A&A...561L..12H|doi=10.1051/0004-6361/201323020|s2cid=24224684}}][{{cite journal|last1=Horvath|first1=I.|last2=Hakkila|first2=J.|last3=Bagoly|first3=Z.|date=2013|title=The largest possible structure of the Universe, defined by Einstein in his Big Bang theory (1901).|journal=7th Huntsville Gamma-Ray Burst Symposium, GRB 2013: Paper 33 in EConf Proceedings C1304143|volume=1311|pages=1104|arxiv=1311.1104|bibcode=2013arXiv1311.1104H}}][{{cite web|title=Universe's Largest Structure is a Cosmic Conundrum|url=http://news.discovery.com/space/galaxies/universes-largest-structure-is-a-cosmic-conundrum-131119.htm|last=Klotz|first=Irene|date=2013-11-19|publisher=discovery|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150325183452/http://news.discovery.com/space/galaxies/universes-largest-structure-is-a-cosmic-conundrum-131119.htm|archive-date=2015-03-25|access-date=2013-11-22}}] | Discovered through gamma-ray burst mapping. Existence as a structure is disputed.[{{Cite journal|last=Christian|first=Sam|date=2020-07-11|title=Re-examining the evidence of the Hercules–Corona Borealis Great Wall|url=https://academic.oup.com/mnras/article/495/4/4291/5843300|journal=Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society|language=en|volume=495|issue=4|pages=4291–4296|doi=10.1093/mnras/staa1448|doi-access=free |issn=0035-8711|arxiv=2006.00141|s2cid=219177572}}][{{Cite journal|last1=Ukwatta|first1=T. N.|last2=Woźniak|first2=P. R.|date=2016-01-01|title=Investigation of redshift- and duration-dependent clustering of gamma-ray bursts|url=https://academic.oup.com/mnras/article/455/1/703/986230|journal=Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society|language=en|volume=455|issue=1|pages=703–711|doi=10.1093/mnras/stv2350|issn=0035-8711|doi-access=free|arxiv=1507.07117}}][{{Cite journal|last1=Horvath|first1=I.|last2=Szecsi|first2=D.|last3=Hakkila|first3=J.|last4=Szabo|first4=A.|last5=Racz|first5=I.I.|last6=Toth|first6=L.V.|last7=Pinter|first7=S.|last8=Bagoly|first8=Z.|date=2020-08-22|title=The clustering of gamma-ray bursts in the Hercules-Corona Borealis Great Wall: the largest structure in the Universe?|url=https://academic.oup.com/mnras/article/498/2/2544/5895980|journal=Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society|language=en|volume=498|issue=2|pages=2544–2553|doi=10.1093/mnras/staa2460 |arxiv=2008.03679|issn=0035-8711|doi-access=free}}] |
Giant GRB Ring (2015)[{{cite journal |last1=Balazs |first1=L. G. |last2=Bagoly |first2=Z. |last3=Hakkila |first3=J. E. |last4=Horvath |first4=I. |last5=Kobori |first5=J. |last6=Racz |first6=I. I. |last7=Toth |first7=L. V. |date=2015-08-05 |title=A giant ring-like structure at 0.78 < z < 0.86 displayed by GRBs |journal=Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society |volume=452 |issue=3 |pages=2236–2246 |arxiv=1507.00675 |bibcode=2015MNRAS.452.2236B |doi=10.1093/mnras/stv1421 |s2cid=109936564 |doi-access=free}}] | 5,600,000,000 | Discovered through gamma-ray burst mapping. Largest-known regular formation in the observable universe. |
Huge-LQG (2012–2013) | 4,000,000,000[{{cite journal|last=Aron|first=Jacob|title=Largest structure challenges Einstein's smooth cosmos|journal=New Scientist|volume=217|issue=2900|pages=13|url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn23074-largest-structure-challenges-einsteins-smooth-cosmos.html|access-date=14 January 2013|bibcode=2013NewSc.217...13A|year=2013|doi=10.1016/S0262-4079(13)60143-8|url-access=subscription}}][{{cite web|title=Astronomers discover the largest structure in the universe|url=http://www.ras.org.uk/news-and-press/224-news-2013/2212-astronomers-discover-the-largest-structure-in-the-universe|publisher=Royal astronomical society|access-date=2013-01-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130114020821/http://www.ras.org.uk/news-and-press/224-news-2013/2212-astronomers-discover-the-largest-structure-in-the-universe|archive-date=2013-01-14|url-status=dead}}][{{cite journal | arxiv=1211.6256 | bibcode=2013MNRAS.429.2910C | title=A structure in the early Universe at z ~ 1.3 that exceeds the homogeneity scale of the R-W concordance cosmology | date=2013-01-11 |last1=Clowes|first1=Roger |first2=Kathryn A. | last2=Harris|first3=Srinivasan | last3=Raghunathan|first4=Luis E. | last4=Campusano|first5=Ilona K. | last5=Söchting|first6=Matthew J. | last6=Graham | journal=Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society | volume=1211 | pages=6256 | doi=10.1093/mnras/sts497 | issue=4| doi-access=free | s2cid=486490 }}] | Decoupling of 73 quasars. Largest-known large quasar group and the first structure found to exceed 3 billion light-years. |
"Giant Arc" (2021) | 3,300,000,000[{{cite web | url =https://koliasa.com/giant-arc-stretching-1-3-billion-light-years-across-the-cosmos-shouldnt-exist/ | title =Giant arc stretching-1.3 billion light-years across the cosmos shouldn't exist | access-date =2021-06-16 | archive-date =2021-06-28 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20210628135533/https://koliasa.com/giant-arc-stretching-1-3-billion-light-years-across-the-cosmos-shouldnt-exist/ | url-status =dead }}] | Located 9.2 billion light years away. |
U1.11 LQG (2011) | 2,500,000,000 | Involves 38 quasars. Adjacent to the Clowes-Campusano LQG. |
Clowes–Campusano LQG (1991) | 2,000,000,000 | Grouping of 34 quasars. Discovered by Roger Clowes and Luis Campusano. |
Sloan Great Wall (2003) | 1,380,000,000 | Discovered through the 2dF Galaxy Redshift Survey and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. |
South Pole Wall (2020) | 1,370,000,000[{{cite journal |author=Pomarède, Daniel |display-authors=et al. |title=Cosmicflows-3: The South Pole Wall |date=10 July 2020 |journal=The Astrophysical Journal |volume=897 |number=2 |page=133 |doi=10.3847/1538-4357/ab9952 |arxiv=2007.04414 |bibcode=2020ApJ...897..133P |s2cid=220425419 |doi-access=free }}][{{cite news |author=Pomerede |first=Daniel |display-authors=et al. |date=January 2020 |title=The South Pole Wall |work=Harvard University |pages=453.01 |bibcode=2020AAS...23545301P}}][{{cite news |author= |title=Astronomers map massive structure beyond Laniakea Supercluster |url=https://www.hawaii.edu/news/2020/07/10/laniakea-supercluster-mapping/ |date=10 July 2020 |work=University of Hawaii |access-date=10 July 2020 }}][{{cite news |last=Overbye |first=Dennis |author-link=Dennis Overbye |date=10 July 2020 |title=Beyond the Milky Way, a Galactic Wall – Astronomers have discovered a vast assemblage of galaxies hidden behind our own, in the "zone of avoidance" |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/10/science/astronomy-galaxies-attractor-universe.html |access-date=10 July 2020 |work=The New York Times}}][{{cite news |last=Mann |first=Adam |title=Astronomers discover South Pole Wall, a gigantic structure stretching 1.4 billion light-years across |url=https://www.livescience.com/south-pole-wall-discovered-in-space.html |date=10 July 2020 |work=Live Science |access-date=10 July 2020 }}][{{cite news |last=Starr |first=Michelle |title=A Giant 'Wall' of Galaxies Has Been Found Stretching Across The Universe |url=https://www.sciencealert.com/a-giant-wall-of-galaxies-has-been-found-stretching-across-the-universe |date=14 July 2020 |work=ScienceAlert.com |access-date=19 July 2020 }}] | The largest contiguous feature in the local volume and comparable to the Sloan Great Wall (see above) at half the distance. It is located at the celestial South Pole. |
King Ghidorah Supercluster (2022) | 1,300,000,000 | Consists of at least 15 clusters plus other interconnected filaments. It is the most massive galaxy supercluster discovered so far.[{{Cite journal|last1=Shimawaka|first1=Rhythm|last2=Okabe|first2=Nobuhiro|last3=Shirasaki|first3=Masat|last4=Tanaka|first4=Masayuki|date=22 November 2022|title=King Ghidorah Supercluster: Mapping the light and dark matter in a new supercluster at z = 0.55 using the subaru hyper suprime-cam|journal=Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters|volume=519|issue=1|pages=L45–L50|url=https://academic.oup.com/mnrasl/article-abstract/519/1/L45/6847752?redirectedFrom=fulltext|url-access=subscription|bibcode=2023MNRAS.519L..45S|doi=10.1093/mnrasl/slac150|doi-access=free |arxiv=2211.11970|s2cid=253761264|issn=1745-3933}}] |
Big Ring (2024)
|1,300,000,000
|Made up of galaxy clusters. |
style="background:#efefef;"| (Theoretical limit)
| style="background:#efefef;"| 1,200,000,000
| style="background:#efefef;"| Structures larger than this size are incompatible with the cosmological principle according to all estimates. However, whether the existence of these structures itself constitutes a refutation of the cosmological principle is still unclear.[{{Cite journal|last=Nadathur|first=Seshadri|date=10 July 2018|title=Seeing patterns in noise: Gigaparsec-scale 'structures' that do not violate homogeneity|journal=Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society|volume=434|issue=1 |pages=398–406|doi=10.1093/mnras/stt1028|doi-access=free |arxiv=1306.1700|bibcode=2013MNRAS.434..398N |s2cid=119220579}}] |
Ho'oleilana Bubble (2023)
|1,000,000,000
|Contains about 56,000 galaxies, located 820 million light years away. |
BOSS Great Wall (BGW) (2016) | 1,000,000,000 | Structure consisting of 4 superclusters of galaxies. The mass and volume exceeds the amount of the Sloan Great Wall.[{{Cite journal |author1=Lietzen |first=H. |author2=Tempel |first2=E. |author3=Liivamägi |first3=L. J. |date=20 March 2016 |title=Discovery of a massive supercluster system at z ~ 0.47 |journal=Astronomy & Astrophysics |volume=588 |page=L4 |arxiv=1602.08498 |bibcode=2016A&A...588L...4L |doi=10.1051/0004-6361/201628261 |s2cid=56126854}}] |
Perseus–Pegasus Filament (1985) | 1,000,000,000 | This galaxy filament contains the Perseus–Pisces Supercluster. |
Pisces–Cetus Supercluster Complex (1987) | 1,000,000,000 | Contains the Milky Way, and is the first galaxy filament to be discovered. (The first LQG was found earlier in 1982.) A new report in 2014 confirms the Milky Way as a member of the Laniakea Supercluster. |
CfA2 Great Wall (1989) | 750,000,000 | Also known as the Coma Wall. |
Saraswati Supercluster | 652,000,000[{{Cite web|url=http://www.iucaa.in/Saraswati-General.html|title=News {{pipe}} IUCAA|website=www.iucaa.in}}] | The Saraswati Supercluster consists of 43 massive galaxy clusters, which include Abell 2361 and ZWCl 2341.1+0000. |
Boötes Supercluster | 620,000,000 | |
Horologium-Reticulum Supercluster (2005) | 550,000,000 | Also known as the Horologium Supercluster. |
Laniakea Supercluster (2014) | 520,000,000 | Galaxy supercluster in which Earth is located. |
Komberg–Kravtsov–Lukash LQG 11 | 500,000,000 | Discovered by Boris V. Komberg, Andrey V. Kravstov and Vladimir N. Lukash.[{{cite journal | last1 = Komberg | first1 = Boris V. | last2 = Kravtsov | first2 = Andrey V. | last3 = Lukash | first3 = Vladimir N. | title = The search and investigation of the Large Groups of Quasars | journal = Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society | url =https://archive.org/details/arxiv-astro-ph9602090| page = 2090 |arxiv=astro-ph/9602090 | bibcode=1996MNRAS.282..713K| year = 1996 | volume = 282 | issue = 3 | doi = 10.1093/mnras/282.3.713 | doi-access = free | s2cid = 14700144 }}] |
Hyperion proto-supercluster (2018) | 489,000,000 | The largest and earliest known proto– supercluster. |
Komberg–Kravtsov–Lukash LQG 12 | 480,000,000 | Discovered by Boris V. Komberg, Andrey V. Kravstov and Vladimir N. Lukash. |
Newman LQG (U1.54) | 450,000,000 | Discovered Peter R Newman[{{cite thesis |last1=Newman |first1=Peter R. |title=Large groups of quasars in an ultraviolet-excess survey |date=1999 |publisher=University of Central Lancashire |url=http://doi.org/10.17030/uclan.thesis.00020658 |doi=10.17030/uclan.thesis.00020658 |bibcode=1999PhDT..........N}}] et al. |
Komberg–Kravtsov–Lukash LQG 5 | 430,000,000 | Discovered by Boris V. Komberg, Andrey V. Kravstov and Vladimir N. Lukash. |
Tesch–Engels LQG | 420,000,000 | |
Shapley Supercluster | 400,000,000 | First identified by Harlow Shapley as a cloud of galaxies in 1930, it was not identified as a structure until 1989. |
Komberg–Kravstov–Lukash LQG 3 | 390,000,000 | Discovered by Boris V. Komberg, Andrey V. Kravstov and Vladimir N. Lukash. |
U1.90 | 380,000,000 | |
Lynx–Ursa Major Filament (LUM Filament) | 370,000,000 | |
Sculptor Wall | 370,000,000 | Also known as the Southern Great Wall. |
Einasto Supercluster | 360,000,000 | [{{Cite journal |last1=Sankhyayan |first1=Shishir |last2=Okabe |first2=Joydeep |last3=Tempel |first3=Elmo |last4=More |first4=Surhud |last5=Einasto |first5=Maret |last6=Dabhade |first6=Pratik |last7=Raychaudhury |first7=Somak |last8=Athreya |first8=Ramana |last9=Heinämäki |first9=Pekka |date=13 November 2023 |title=Identification of Superclusters and Their Properties in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Using the WHL Cluster Catalog |journal=The Astrophysical Journal |volume=958 |issue=1 |page=62 |arxiv=2309.06251 |bibcode=2023ApJ...958...62S |doi=10.3847/1538-4357/acfaeb |doi-access=free }}] |
Pisces-Cetus Supercluster | 350,000,000 | |
Komberg–Kravtsov–Lukash LQG 2 | 350,000,000 | Discovered by Boris V. Komberg, Andrey V. Kravstov and Vladimir N. Lukash. |
z=2.38 filament around protocluster ClG J2143-4423 | 330,000,000 | |
Webster LQG | 320,000,000 | First LQG (Large Quasar Group) discovered.[R. G. Clowes. "Large Quasar Groups – A Short Review". 'The New Era of Wide Field Astronomy', ASP Conference Series, Vol. 232. 2001; Astronomical Society of the Pacific; {{ISBN|1-58381-065-X}}; {{bibcode|2001ASPC..232..108C}}.][{{cite journal|last=Webster|first=Adrian|title=The clustering of quasars from an objective-prism survey|journal=Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society|date=May 1982|volume=199|issue=3|pages=683–705|bibcode=1982MNRAS.199..683W|doi=10.1093/mnras/199.3.683|doi-access=free}}] |
Komberg–Kravtsov–Lukash LQG 8 | 310,000,000 | Discovered by Boris V. Komberg, Andrey V. Kravstov and Vladimir N. Lukash. |
Komberg–Kravtsov–Lukash LQG 1 | 280,000,000 | Discovered by Boris V. Komberg, Andrey V. Kravstov and Vladimir N. Lukash. |
Komberg–Kravtsov–Lukash LQG 6 | 260,000,000 | Discovered by Boris V. Komberg, Andrey V. Kravstov and Vladimir N. Lukash. |
Komberg–Kravtsov–Lukash LQG 7 | 250,000,000 | Discovered by Boris V. Komberg, Andrey V. Kravstov and Vladimir N. Lukash. |
SCL @ 1338+27 | 228,314,341 | One of the most distant known superclusters. |
Komberg–Kravtsov–Lukash LQG 9 | 200,000,000 | Discovered by Boris V. Komberg, Andrey V. Kravstov and Vladimir N. Lukash. |
SSA22 Protocluster | 200,000,000 | Giant collection of Lyman-alpha blobs. |
Ursa Major Supercluster | 200,000,000 | |
nowrap="nowrap"| Komberg-Kravtsov-Lukash LQG 10 | 180,000,000 | Discovered by Boris V. Komberg, Andrey V. Kravstov and Vladimir N. Lukash. |
style="background:pink;" class="sortbottom"
| Virgo Supercluster | 110,000,000 | A part of the Laniakea Supercluster (see above). It also contains the Milky Way Galaxy, which contains the Solar System where Earth orbits the Sun. Listed here for reference. |