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South Pole Wall

space Maturity 11-13 Next article →

The South Pole Wall is a massive cosmic structure. It is a galaxy filament, which is a long chain of galaxies. This structure is one of the largest contiguous features in our local volume of space. It is a vital part of our understanding of the universe. Scientists study it to learn how matter is organized on a giant scale. This wall helps us map the vast reaches of the cosmos.

SDvision CF3 Recons RG 128v 600Mpc 3isos SouthPoleWall allskymap dust zoom-v001
SDvision CF3 Recons RG 128v 600Mpc 3isos SouthPoleWall allskymap dust zoom-v001

Astronomers discovered this wall by looking at how galaxies move. They used the gravitational influence of the structure to find it. Gravity is the force that pulls objects toward one another. This pull was imprinted in the velocities of a sample of galaxies. By measuring these speeds, researchers could sense the hidden mass. This allowed them to see a structure that was otherwise difficult to spot.

SDvision CF3 Recons RG 128v 600Mpc 3isos SouthPoleWall allskymap dust zoom-v001
SDvision CF3 Recons RG 128v 600Mpc 3isos SouthPoleWall allskymap dust zoom-v001

The structure is very difficult to see directly. Part of the wall sits behind the Zone of Avoidance. This is also called the Zone of Galactic Obscuration. In this region, patches of galactic dust and clouds block our view. These clouds act like a veil over the stars. Because this area of the sky was not completely surveyed, the wall remained unnoticed for a long time.

SDvision CF3 Recons RG 128v 600Mpc 3isos SouthPoleWall allskymap dust zoom-v001
SDvision CF3 Recons RG 128v 600Mpc 3isos SouthPoleWall allskymap dust zoom-v001

An international team of astronomers announced the discovery in July 2020. Daniel Pomarède from Paris-Saclay University led the research. He worked alongside R. Brent Tully from the University of Hawaiʻi. They worked with several other colleagues to complete the study. Their work revealed a feature that is comparable to the Sloan Great Wall. However, the South Pole Wall is located at only half the distance of that structure.

SDvision CF3 Recons RG 128v 600Mpc 3isos SouthPoleWall allskymap dust zoom-v001
SDvision CF3 Recons RG 128v 600Mpc 3isos SouthPoleWall allskymap dust zoom-v001

The scale of the South Pole Wall is truly immense. It measures over 1.37 billion light-years in length. It also spans a zone that is 500 million light-years wide. The nearest part of the wall is about 500 million light-years away. The wall is dense in five known locations. One of these dense areas is located very near the celestial South Pole.

SDvision CF3 Recons RG 128v 600Mpc 3isos SouthPoleWall allskymap dust zoom-v001
SDvision CF3 Recons RG 128v 600Mpc 3isos SouthPoleWall allskymap dust zoom-v001

The shape of the filament is a long, curving path. It stretches from the Perseus constellation in the Northern Hemisphere. It reaches down to the Telescopium constellation in the far south. As it travels, it skirts slightly over the present south celestial pole. This massive size means it affects the local expansion of the universe. Its presence changes how we view the movement of things nearby.

SDvision CF3 Recons RG 128v 600Mpc 3isos SouthPoleWall allskymap dust zoom-v001
SDvision CF3 Recons RG 128v 600Mpc 3isos SouthPoleWall allskymap dust zoom-v001

Scientists are still learning about the full extent of this wall. They do not yet know if the structure is unusual. Astronomer Tully suggests it might be even bigger than what we see now. The current map only covers the domain of the surveyed region. To be certain, we must map the universe on a much grander scale. We are still early explorers of these unknown territories in the deep cosmos.

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