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Science 17 November 1989:
Vol. 246. no. 4932, pp. 897 - 903
DOI: 10.1126/science.246.4932.897
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Articles

Mapping the Universe

MARGARET J. GELLER 1 and JOHN P. HUCHRA 1

1 Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, MA 02138.

Maps of the galaxy distribution in the nearby universe reveal large coherent structures. The extent of the largest features is limited only by the size of the survey. Voids with a density typically 20 percent of the mean and with diameters of 5000 km s-1 are present in every survey large enough to contain them. Many galaxies lie in thin sheet-like structures. The largest sheet detected so far is the "Great Wall" with a minimum extent of 60 h-1 Mpc x 170 h-1 Mpc, where h is the Hubble constant in units of 100 km s-1 Mpc-1. The frequent occurrence of these structures is one of several serious challenges to our current understanding of the origin and evolution of the large-scale distribution of matter in the universe.


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
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A gravitational diffusion model without dark matter.
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The Central Galaxy in Abell 2029: An Old Supergiant.
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COBE Confronts Cosmic Conundrums: Now measuring the microwave background, the new satellite ultimately could help us understand how the galaxies formed.
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Astronomers Go Up Against the Great Wall: The discovery of this huge structure could undermine "cold dark matter" theory of galaxy formation; but what is the alternative?.
M. M. WALDROP (1989)
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