Discovery of Massive Galaxy Supercluster could help provide solutions to the limitations of the standard model
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Data recently analysed at the Savitribai Phule Pune University, in India, has confirmed the existence of one of the most enormous superclusters in our universe. Its width spans 650 million lightyears and its unusual constitution should give scientists insights into the behaviour of dark energy and dark matter..
New Scientist Magazine have recently published an article – Galaxy supercluster is one of the biggest things in the universe – which highlights the significance of this supercluster discovery. Saraswati supercluster of galaxies is one of the largest structures in the universecovering a vast area and containing an inordinate amount of galaxies. (New Scientist, 2017)
To put things in perspective our own galaxy (The Milky Way) belongs to a Local Group category of clusters, which means there are over 30 galaxies, within this group, which span about 10 million lightyears. However, our galaxy also belongs to the Virgo Supercluster, which contains at least 100 galaxy clusters and it spans 110 million lightyears. The Saraswati supercluster is nearly six times the diameter of the Virgo supercluster and contains at least 400 galaxies:
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It is made up of at least 43 massive groups and clusters, and contains about 400 galaxies in total, giving it a combined mass 20 million billion times that of our sun. (New Scientist, 2017)
Joydeep Bagchi, who discovered the cluster, along with his colleagues, stated that it provides an important insight into the history of our universe. He advised that because the vast supercluster is very far from Earth (4000 million lightyears) it gives scientists a glimpse into history, to a time when the universe was ‘only’ 10 billion years old. In addition, Bagchi advised that, the superclusters size would mean that its expansion would’ve been slow, which would also give unique insights into our universe’s development.
The implications for understanding the interactions between dark matter and dark energy, were also highlighted by Bagchi. In this respect the supercluster could give Scientists a fuller understanding as to why dark energy began expanding the universe. Such insights may provide solutions to the current limitations associated with the standard model of physics.
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