The Hideous Name of Azathoth: Discovered
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The Hideous Name of Azathoth: Discovered
Talk about a whopper—astronomers have discovered a structure in the universe so large that modern cosmological theory says it should not exist, a new study says. (Also see "Giant 'Blob' Is Largest Thing in Universe [2006].") Using data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, an international team of researchers has discovered a record-breaking cluster of quasars—young active galaxies—stretching four billion light-years across. "This discovery was very much a surprise, since it does break the cosmological record as the largest structure in the known universe," said study leader Roger Clowes, an astronomer at University of Central Lancashire in England. For comparison, our own galaxy, the Milky Way, is just a hundred thousand light-years across, while the local supercluster of galaxies in which it's located, the Virgo Cluster, is only a hundred million light-years wide.
Astronomers have known for years that quasars can form immense clusters that stretch to more than 700 million light-years across, said Clowes. But the epic size of this group of 73 quasars, sitting about 9 billion light-years away, has left them scratching their heads. That's because current astrophysical models appear to show that the upper size limit for cosmic structures should be no more than 1.2 billion light-years.
"So this represents a challenge to our current understanding and now creates a mystery—rather than solves one," Clowes said.
Outside the ordered universe is that amorphous blight of nethermost confusion which blasphemes and bubbles at the center of all infinity—the boundless daemon sultan Azathoth, whose name no lips dare speak aloud, and who gnaws hungrily in inconceivable, unlighted chambers beyond time and space amidst the muffled, maddening beating of vile drums and the thin monotonous whine of accursed flutes. -The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath
The titanic structure, known simply as the Large Quasar Group (LQG), also appears to break the rules of a widely accepted cosmological principle, which says that the universe would look pretty much uniform when observed at the largest scales.
"It could mean that our mathematical description of the universe has been oversimplified--and that would represent a serious difficulty and a serious increase in complexity," Clowes said.
Decoding Early-Galaxy Evolution
Significant not only for its record-breaking size, the massive structure could possibly shed light on the evolution of galaxies like our own Milky Way. Quasars, which pump out powerful jets of energy, are among the brightest and most energetic objects from when the universe was still young. They represent an early, but brief, stage in the evolution of most galaxies. (See "Earliest Known Galaxies Spied in Deep Hubble Picture.")
One theory holds that this type of colossal collection of quasars may be precursors to galaxy superclusters in the modern universe--but the exact nature of their connection is still a mystery.
The discovery, a prime target for computer modeling, also needs to be mapped out more thoroughly with telescopes, said Gerard Williger, an astronomer at the University of Louisville in Kentucky not connected with the study.
"This structure is bigger than we expect based on the shockwaves formed in the universe after the big bang," said Williger.
"There is very likely some mechanism [that] is turning on quasars over a large scale like this--and in a short time--which could relate to some condition in the early universe."
"I have longed for shipwrecks, for havoc and violent death.” - Havoc, T. Kristensen
Re: The Hideous Name of Azathoth: Discovered
The monstrous nuclear chaos beyond angled space which the Necronomicon had mercifully cloaked under the name of Azathoth. -The Whisperer in Darkness
"I have longed for shipwrecks, for havoc and violent death.” - Havoc, T. Kristensen
Re: The Hideous Name of Azathoth: Discovered
HOLY FUCKING SHIT THAT'S AWESOME!
Re: The Hideous Name of Azathoth: Discovered
I'm not reading all that crap
"Know that! & Know it deep you fucking loser!"
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- Lifetime IGer
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Re: The Hideous Name of Azathoth: Discovered
protobuilder wrote:I'm not reading all that crap
why does this continues to be funny?
must be rye whiskey
"He who knows only his own side of the case knows little of that." JS Mill
Re: The Hideous Name of Azathoth: Discovered
Rather disappointed when I saw this thread wasn't about this guy:
Last edited by kreator on Wed Jan 16, 2013 3:49 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: The Hideous Name of Azathoth: Discovered
Any time i read one of those big hypothetical statements (could represent revolution in model of universe!!!) I always mentally append an "...or not" to it.
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- Buttnugget McTwistynutz
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Re: The Hideous Name of Azathoth: Discovered
Creative bunch of melvins they are.Fat Cat wrote:The titanic structure, known simply as the Large Quasar Group (LQG),