Astronomers Find Enormous Hole in the Universe

[CoombellKid]

Astronomers have found an enormous hole in the Universe, nearly a billion
light-years across, empty of both normal matter such as stars, galaxies, and
gas, and the mysterious, unseen "dark matter." While earlier studies have
shown holes, or voids, in the large-scale structure of the Universe, this new
discovery dwarfs them all.

Read more....
http://www.nrao.edu/pr/2007/coldspot/

regards,CS

[2020BC (Bill Christie)]

Is there a map of this showing RA/Dec coords?

[Rodstar (Rod)]

I guess that is one "object" where the usual rule that aperture rules does not apply, ie nothing looks pretty much the same with 8 inches or 38 inches of aperture!

[glenc (Glen)]

The same story is at:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6962185.stm

I think it is at RA 3h 15m 5s, dec -19d 35m, about 1 degree west of NGC 1300.

[CoombellKid]

In my 8" I see lots of comic nothingness lol

regards,CS

[erick (Eric)]

I think I saw it - or was that when I forgot to take the aperture cover off

Quite an amazing story - incredible science in Astronomy. When it's a struggle to know what is in the centre of our galaxy due to all the stuff being in the way, how do they detect such a large hole with a huge lot of galaxies in the way! Well I have read the stories and can sort of understand the evidence. Fascinating!

[Ric]

Fascinating articles, that is one seriously large hole.

[joshman (Josh)]

such a holey universe we live in!!!!

(oh the pun!)

[felix]

read about this in the local papers as well is it really all because of gravitational forces in action? if only we had the technology to reach that location within a lifetime~ nothing beats actually being there

[xelasnave]

What are the implications of this???
Was not "inflation" placed in the big bang theory to remove this sort of thing??? you know things must be the same all over....

So the Universe is not generally the same all over ...this is extrodinary and as I said it must mean some major rethinking must be undertaken to fit this new piece of information in, such that it agrees with all that was there before it was known.
So where is this big "hole" now I wonder? has it grown or has it srunk and been filled with stuff???

And of course if they have found one such situation it probably means there are more discoveries of this nature awaiting "exposure"... explaining one or many no doubt will tell us something about nothing.

alex

[CoombellKid]

Alex,

Actually they say they have found several but this one dwarfs the others
they had already found. Glen posted in an earlier post it's location.

On holes appearing in the known universe, perhaps when the big bang
went off so to speak, there were the odd object nearby yet to join in
at the core, This could easily create holes.

but then I'm not an expert on the big bang theory.

regards,CS

[xelasnave]

Well there would be few who could claim to be expert on the big bang theory but as I understand it the big bang was on shaky ground and the inflation theory was introduced to save it from being disregarded. Inflation was needed to "smooth"out the Universe it seems to me.
I find it difficult to fit these enormous "total and absolute voids" into the mental picture one must form from the hypothesis of inflation.

I think the inflation hypothesis difficult to swallow on the basis that we are asked to accept that all we see (and so very much more) grew from relatively nothing to ëverything,in the space of a mere time frame of some 30 seconds (as inflation calls upon us to accept).

It surprises me that no one sees it similar as I would have thought the questions I raise were apparent...perhaps no so to those more intimately involved with the inflation hypothesis than me.

The size of this hole is beyond reasonable comprehension.
I wonder what its size was relative to the size of the Universe at that time?
Was this hole grown at the same rate as the rest of the Universe during inflation or did the Universe just grow around this and other holes.
To me such a discovery puts everything we currently believe as fact..the big bang hypothesis itself... into question.

I have never liked the inflation hypothesis it seemed to me a grabbing at a straw exercise and as far as I can tell those who support the concept offer as its reason for credibility the fact that it fits big bang predictions... outside that consideration I find little reason to accept its premise.

I think this discovery offers many questions for the big bang and it will be interesting to see if this discovery is "fitted in" or simply disregarded as offering any relevance to cosmology.

I wonder where this big hole placed itself in the background radiation map..one would think the map must show huge voids like this..

I find this discovery so interesting I hope more information comes to light as time goes by.
alex