It turned out to be a near-perfect ring with spiral-like properties. This astronomical breakthrough surprised scientists because the size of the Great Ring does not comply with established principles of cosmology, which posit the uniformity of the universe in all directions.

Structures of ultra-high values

Lead researcher Alexia Lopez noted that current cosmological theories had previously considered structures on this scale to be implausible and suggested that only extremely large structure should exist in the observable universe.

Contrary to expectations, Big Ring It is not an isolated anomaly. Scientists also mention this Giant ArcAnother huge structure consisting of galaxies and galaxy clusters discovered by Lopez two years ago. Both the Great Ring and the Giant Bow, 3.3 billion light yearsIt exceeds the 1.2 billion light-year limit theoretically predicted for such structures.

Artist’s impression of the Great Ring and Giant Bow in the sky / Photo: Stellarium/University of Central Lancashire/PA

It is noteworthy that both megastructures are at the same distance from Earth, near the constellation Volopas; This opens the way for hypotheses about their potential connections within the framework of a single cosmological system. López emphasized the need to confront these anomalies rather than ignore them, arguing that accumulating evidence has led to questioning the adequacy of the current Standard Model of Cosmology.

To further investigate these mysteries, a team of astrophysicists used data from the world’s most powerful astronomical camera and advanced computer models. They focused on measuring the “clumpiness” of dark matter in the universe, a mysterious substance that accounts for a quarter of the universe’s mass energy.

But the results pointed to a departure from the standard model, prompting scientists to consider the potential need for a comprehensive reevaluation and even a new theorem in cosmology.