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Astronomers discover 'supervoid' 1.8 billion light years in width

Astronauts discover 'supervoid' 1.8 billion light years in width

Astronomers say they have discovered a “supervoid” in the universe that is 1.8 billion light years in width.

Dr Istvan Szapudi, who led a team of researchers from the University of Hawaii, has labeled it “the largest individual structure ever identified by humanity”.

The vast, large space, which is “missing” around 10, 000 galaxies, is colder than other parts of the universe.

It is not a vacuum like it's name suggests but is 20% less dense than other aspects of the universe.


The discovery is significant because it could help explain a mysterious ‘Cold Spot’ found by scientists ten years ago.

Many experts believe the ‘Cold Spot’ is radiation left behind after the Big Bang.

“This is the greatest supervoid ever discovered,” Prof Carlos Frenk, a cosmologist at the University of Durham told the Guardian.

“In combination of size and emptiness, our supervoid is still a very rare event.

"We can only expect a few supervoids this big in the observable universe.”

But scientists say the void only accounts for 10% of the 'Cold Spot's' temperature dip, meaning there are questions still to be answered.

National news break – April 21