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Mapping the Universe

Margaret J. Geller and John P. HuchraAuthors Info & Affiliations
Science
17 Nov 1989
Vol 246, Issue 4932
pp. 897-903
DOI: 10.1126/science.246.4932.897
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Abstract

Maps of the galaxy distribution in the nearby universe reveal large coherent structures. The extent of the largest features is limited only by the size of the survey. Voids with a density typically 20 percent of the mean and with diameters of 5000 km s-1 are present in every survey large enough to contain them. Many galaxies lie in thin sheet-like structures. The largest sheet detected so far is the "Great Wall" with a minimum extent of 60 h-1 Mpc × 170 h-1 Mpc, where h is the Hubble constant in units of 100 km s-1 Mpc-1. The frequent occurrence of these structures is one of several serious challenges to our current understanding of the origin and evolution of the large-scale distribution of matter in the universe.

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Published In

Science
Volume 246 | Issue 4932
17 November 1989

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1989 by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

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Published in print: 17 November 1989

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Margaret J. Geller
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, MA 02138.
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John P. Huchra
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, MA 02138.
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  • Margaret J. Geller,
  • John P. Huchra
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Mapping the Universe.Science246,897-903(1989).DOI:10.1126/science.246.4932.897

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Cited by

    • Juan M. Uson,
    • Stephen P. Boughn,
    • Jeffrey R. Kuhn,
    The Central Galaxy in Abell 2029: An Old Supergiant, Science, 250, 4980, (539-540), (1990)./doi/10.1126/science.250.4980.539
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    COBE Confronts Cosmic Conundrums, Science, 247, 4941, (411-413), (1990)./doi/10.1126/science.247.4941.411
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    • M. Mitchell Waldrop,
    Astronomers Go Up Against the Great Wall, Science, 246, 4932, (885-885), (1989)./doi/10.1126/science.246.4932.885
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