Superstructure 'Quipu' is officially the biggest thing in the Universe, stretching 1.3 billion light-years

Superstructure 'Quipu' is officially the biggest thing in the Universe, stretching 1.3 billion light-years (Image: AI generated)

Staring into the vastness of the cosmos often feels overwhelming. Now, astronomers have found something even more astonishing—an enormous structure named Quipu. And it’s unlike anything seen before.

A Massive Web Across the Universe

The newly identified superstructure, called Quipu, weighs nearly 200 quadrillion times more than the Sun. Stretching over 1.3 billion light-years, it ranks as the largest structure ever observed. Researchers found it within a distance range of 130 to 250 megaparsecs.

A quipu resembles a cosmic web, full of knots and threads. Its name comes from an ancient Incan system of recording data using cords. The resemblance is striking when viewed through cosmic maps. The structure was found as part of the CLASSIX Cluster Survey using X-ray data. Scientists observed dense regions glowing with high-energy radiation, helping to reveal Quipu’s vast mass.

Quipu (in red) stands as the largest known structure in the Universe, followed by Shapley (blue), Serpens–Corona Borealis (green), Hercules (purple), and Sculptor–Pegasus (beige). (Image: Bohringer et al. 2025)

Why Superstructures Like Quipu Matter

This immense cosmic web holds 45 percent of galaxy clusters and nearly 30 percent of all galaxies. It accounts for a quarter of all matter in just 13 percent of the universe’s volume. Its effects are powerful enough to influence light, motion, and even cosmic background radiation.

Astronomers explain that such structures distort our understanding of the cosmos. Their huge gravity alters the Cosmic Microwave Background using a process called the Integrated Sachs-Wolfe effect. These changes can mislead observations of the early universe.

Galaxy distribution across varying density gradients is shown using six contour levels based on density ratio to the average: 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 above 3.7 (white). Clusters belonging to the five identified superstructures are marked with solid black circles. (Image: Bohringer et al. 2025)

Superstructures also affect local galaxy motion. As galaxies drift, they experience streaming motions caused by massive nearby objects. These shifts can lead to errors in measuring the Hubble constant, which helps track the universe’s expansion rate.

Cosmic Models and Future Observations

Quipu and four other superstructures found during the study match the predictions of the Lambda CDM model. This model forms the basis of modern cosmology and explains how the universe has grown over time.

Researchers hope that further study will fine-tune our understanding of these cosmic giants. They believe that mapping such dense regions will help clean up distortions in future sky surveys. It will also help astronomers spot where their models succeed—or where they need to evolve.

For now, Quipu stands as a reminder of how much remains hidden in space. And how much more we still need to explore to truly understand the universe’s grand design.