| Part of a series on |
| Physical cosmology |
|---|
Early universe |
Components · Structure |
Alarge quasar group (LQG) is a collection ofquasars (a form ofsupermassive black holeactive galactic nuclei) that form what are thought to constitute the largest astronomical structures in theobservable universe. LQGs are thought to be precursors to thesheets, walls and filaments of galaxies found in the relatively nearby universe.[1]
On January 11, 2013, the discovery of theHuge-LQG was announced by theUniversity of Central Lancashire, as the largest known structure in the universe by that time. It is composed of 74quasars and has a minimum diameter of 1.4 billionlight-years, but over 4 billion light-years at its widest point.[2] According to researcher and author, Roger Clowes, the existence of structures with the size of LQGs was believed theoretically impossible. Cosmological structures had been believed to have a size limit of approximately 1.2 billion light-years.[3][4]
Other scientists have expressed doubt whether these structures really exist.[5]
This sectionmay be too technical for most readers to understand. Pleasehelp improve it tomake it understandable to non-experts, without removing the technical details.(July 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |

Redshift, represented by "z," is a fundamental concept in astrophysics. It measures how much the light from celestial objects shift as they move away from Earth. A higher redshift value means the object is farther away in the universe.
| LQG | Date | Mean Distance | Dimension | # of quasars | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Webster LQG (LQG 1) | 1982 | z=0.37 | 100 Mpc | 5 | First LQG discovered. At the time of its discovery, it was the largest structure known.[1][4][6] |
| Crampton–Cowley–Hartwick LQG (LQG 2,CCH LQG,Komberg-Kravtsov-Lukash LQG 10) | 1987 | z=1.11 | 60 Mpc | 28 | Second LQG discovered[1][4][7] |
| Clowes–Campusano LQG (U1.28,CCLQG,LQG 3) | 1991 | z=1.28 |
| 34 | Third LQG discovered[4][8] |
| U1.90 | 1995 | z=1.9 | 120Mpc/h | 10 | Discovered by Graham, Clowes, Campusano.[1][7][9] |
| 7Sf Group (U0.19) | 1995 | z=0.19 | 60 Mpc/h | 7 | Discovered by Graham, Clowes, Campusano; this is a grouping of 7Seyfert galaxies.[1][7][9] |
| Komberg–Kravtsov–Lukash LQG 1 | 1996 | z=0.6 | R=96 Mpc/h | 12 | Discovered by Komberg, Kravtsov, Lukash.[1][7] |
| Komberg–Kravtsov–Lukash LQG 2 | 1996 | z=0.6 | R=111 Mpc/h | 12 | Discovered by Komberg, Kravtsov, Lukash.[1][7] |
| Komberg–Kravtsov–Lukash LQG 3 | 1996 | z=1.3 | R=123 Mpc/h | 14 | Discovered by Komberg, Kravtsov, Lukash.[1][7] |
| Komberg–Kravtsov–Lukash LQG 4 | 1996 | z=1.9 | R=104 Mpc/h | 14 | Discovered by Komberg, Kravtsov, Lukash.[1][7] |
| Komberg–Kravtsov–Lukash LQG 5 | 1996 | z=1.7 | R=146 Mpc/h | 13 | Discovered by Komberg, Kravtsov, Lukash.[1][7] |
| Komberg–Kravtsov–Lukash LQG 6 | 1996 | z=1.5 | R=94 Mpc/h | 10 | Discovered by Komberg, Kravtsov, Lukash.[1][7] |
| Komberg–Kravtsov–Lukash LQG 7 | 1996 | z=1.9 | R=92 Mpc/h | 10 | Discovered by Komberg, Kravtsov, Lukash.[1][7] |
| Komberg–Kravtsov–Lukash LQG 8 | 1996 | z=2.1 | R=104 Mpc/h | 12 | Discovered by Komberg, Kravtsov, Lukash.[1][7] |
| Komberg–Kravtsov–Lukash LQG 9 | 1996 | z=1.9 | R=66 Mpc/h | 18 | Discovered by Komberg, Kravtsov, Lukash.[1][7] |
| Komberg–Kravtsov–Lukash LQG 11 | 1996 | z=0.7 | R=157 Mpc/h | 11 | Discovered by Komberg, Kravtsov, Lukash.[1][7] |
| Komberg–Kravtsov–Lukash LQG 12 | 1996 | z=1.2 | R=155 Mpc/h | 14 | Discovered by Komberg, Kravtsov, Lukash.[1][7] |
| Newman LQG (U1.54) | 1998 | z=1.54 | 150 Mpc/h | 21 | Discovered by P.R. Newman[10] et al. This structure is parallel to the CCLQG, with its discovery, suggesting that the cellular structure of sheets and voids already existed in this era, as found in latervoid bubbles andwalls of galaxies.,[1][8] |
| Tesch–Engels LQG | 2000 | z=0.27 | 140 Mpc/h | 7 | The first X-ray selected LQG.[1] |
| U1.11 | 2011 | z=1.11 |
| 38 | [4][8] |
| Huge-LQG (U1.27) | 2013 | z=1.27 |
| 73 | The largest structure known in theobservable universe[4][11] until it was eclipsed by theHercules–Corona Borealis Great Wall found one year later.[12][13][14] |