In 1981, during a redshift survey of the distribution of galaxies, astronomers discovered something unexpected: a vast region devoid of galaxies. This discovery led to the identification of the Boötes Void, an area 330 million light-years in diameter, also known as the Great Void.
To put into perspective, this void represents the 1.91% of the diameter of the entire observable universe.
Although the Boötes Void is often described as a total void, it actually contains some galaxies, but far fewer than one would expect. According to a NASA estimate, there should be about 2,000 galaxies in that regionbut so far only 60 have been found. This discrepancy has led astronomers to theorize that the void may have formed by the merger of smaller voids.
In 2015, a research team identified an even larger void, 1.8 billion light years in diameter, by exploring the “cold spot” area in the cosmic background radiation. This one, representing 1.91% of the diameter of the observable universe, is the largest ever discovered, though is not sufficient to fully explain the mysterious “cold spot” of the CMB.
These fascinating discoveries raise intriguing questions about the formation and evolution of cosmic structures. As astronomer Greg Aldering observed, if the Milky Way had been at the center of the Boötes Void, it would not we wouldn’t have known about the existence of other galaxies until the 1960s.
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