In 1981, astronomer Robert Kirshner and colleagues found a vast, almost empty region in the direction of the constellation Boötes. It is roughly 200 million light years in radius. A space that size would normally hold about 2,000 galaxies, but only around 60 have been found there.
Truth label: Established. Strong evidence and broad agreement among experts.
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How far away
Its centre lies about 700 million light years from Earth.
How it formed
One idea is that several smaller voids merged over time. It does not seem to break our main model of the universe.
Learn
- A cosmic web. Galaxies are not spread evenly. They gather in threads and walls, with huge empty bubbles between them called voids.
Test yourself
About how many galaxies are in the Boötes Void?
About 60. Only about 60, against roughly 2,000 you would expect in a region that size.
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