Astronomers just discovered a structure that's bigger than anything that's ever been found in the universe

Astronomers have discovered the largest structure in the history of the universe.

(Image credit: MARCO BERTORELLO/AFP/Getty Images)

published 11 March 2016

Astronomers have discovered a wall in space so huge that even Donald Trump would be impressed by its size. The wall, aptly named the BOSS Great Wall after the international galaxy mapping effort Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey, marks the biggest cosmic structure ever observed in the universe. It's comprised of 830 separate galaxies, spans 1 billion light years across, and has a mass estimated to be 10,000 times greater than that of our own Milky Way.

But wait, a wall in space? Scientists explain that these walls, which are the biggest things in space, are formed when gravity pulls galaxies together forming superclusters. Those superclusters are then linked together by filaments of hot gas, forming walls that Smithsonian Magazine says resemble "a cosmic honeycomb."

The discovery of the BOSS Great Wall comes as researchers for Sloan Digital Sky Survey attempt to map space's web of walls to gain insight into the universe's past, its present size, and its future growth. And while the BOSS is big, what's even more surprising is that scientists think that even bigger structures are still out there.