Which reported structure tests the assumption of homogeneity due to its large size?
Answer
Hercules–Corona Borealis Great Wall
The Cosmological Principle relies on the universe smoothing out statistically above a certain size threshold, typically cited around hundreds of Megaparsecs. However, observations of extremely large contiguous structures challenge this assumption of homogeneity. The Hercules–Corona Borealis Great Wall is cited as one such structure, spanning an immense distance estimated between 2000 and 3000 Mpc. While some researchers argue that the statistical average over volumes significantly larger than this structure might still hold, the existence of individual structures this massive complicates the simple picture of universal smoothness predicted by the principle when viewed below the smoothing scale.
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