Allah says in the Qur’an, “Indeed, We have placed constellations in the sky, and adorned it for all to see.” (Quran 15:16)
“We built the universe with ˹great˺ might, and We are certainly expanding ˹it˺.” (Quran 51:47)
In a groundbreaking discovery, scientists at the University of Central Lancashire have discovered a gigantic, ring-shaped structure in space.
With a diameter of 1.3 billion light-years, this structure is approximately 15 times the size of the Moon as observed from Earth, The BBC reported.
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Dubbed the “Big Ring” by astronomers, it comprises galaxies and galaxy clusters, challenging our current understanding of the universe.
This massive structure, invisible to the naked eye due to its considerable distance, required extensive time and computing power to identify all the galaxies contributing to its composition.
The existence of such large structures contradicts the cosmological principle, a fundamental tenet of astronomy that posits a smooth distribution of matter across the Universe.
While stars, planets, and galaxies might seem substantial on a human scale, in the vastness of the universe, they are considered insignificant, and the formation of significantly larger matter concentrations is deemed improbable.
The mysterious rings could be the result of gas blasted out of a central galaxy after a burst of star formation.
Huge Cosmos
The Big Ring is not the first instance challenging the cosmological principle, suggesting the presence of an as-yet-undiscovered factor. Dr. Robert Massey, deputy director of the Royal Astronomical Society, emphasizes the growing evidence prompting a reconsideration of established astronomical principles.
“This is the seventh large structure discovered in the universe that contradicts the idea that the cosmos is smooth on the largest scales. If these structures are real, then it’s definitely food for thought for cosmologists and the accepted thinking on how the universe has evolved over time,” he commented.
While other cosmologists have discovered similarly large structures, such as the Sloan Great Wall and the South Pole Wall, the Big Ring stands out due to its almost perfect ring appearance on the sky.
The Big Ring was identified by Alexia Lopez, a PhD student at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan), who also discovered the Giant Arc – a structure spanning 3.3bn light-years of space.
The findings have been presented at the 243rd meeting of the American Astronomical Society (AAS) in New Orleans.