This is a list of voids in astronomy. Voids are particularly galaxy-poor regions of space between filaments, making up the large-scale structure of the universe. Some voids are known as supervoids.
In the tables, z is the cosmological redshift, c the speed of light, and h the dimensionless Hubble parameter, which has a value of approximately 0.7 (the Hubble constant H0 = h × 100 km s−1 Mpc−1). Mpc stands for megaparsec.
The co-ordinates (right ascension and declination) and distance given refer to the approximate center of the region.
| Name | width=80pt | Coordinates | Distance | width=70pt | Diameter | Data | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Local Void | cz=2500 km/s | 60 Mpc | [1] | ||||
| Northern Local Supervoid | 61 Mpc | 104 Mpc | Virgo Supercluster, Coma Supercluster, Perseus–Pisces Supercluster, Ursa Major–Lynx Supercluster, Hydra–Centaurus Supercluster, Sculptor Supercluster, Pavo–Corona Australes Supercluster form a sheet between the Northern Local Supervoid and the Southern Local Supervoid.[2] The Hercules Supercluster separates the Northern Local Void from the Boötes Void. The Perseus–Pisces Supercluster and Pegasus Supercluster form a sheet separating the Northern Local Void and Southern Local Void from the Pegasus Void. | ||||
| Southern Local Supervoid | 96 Mpc | 112 Mpc | |||||
| Giant Void | z=0.116 | 300-400 Mpc | "Giant Void in NGH" or "AR-Lp 36"; NGH stands for "Northern Galactic Hemisphere"; discovered in 1988.[3] It is the largest void in the NGH where z<0.14.[4] | ||||
| KBC Void | 600 Mpc | Void containing the Milky Way and Local Group[5] |
| Name | Coordinates | Distance | Diameter | Data | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boötes Void (Great Void) | 150 Mpc | 100 Mpc | The Hercules Supercluster separates the Northern Local Void from the Boötes Void. The Hercules Supercluster thus forms part of the near edge of the Boötes Void.[8] | |||
| Canis Major Void | ||||||
| Columba Void | ||||||
| Coma Void | Discovered in 1975, along with the Coma Supercluster, it lies in front of the Coma Cluster.[9] It was the first void to be discovered and is approximately 1/3 as far away as the much larger Boötes Void.[10] | |||||
| Corona Borealis Void | ||||||
| Eridanus Void | This void is separated from the Sculptor void by a sheet of galaxies. | |||||
| Eridanus Supervoid (Great Void) | z=1 | 150 Mpc | The claimed Eridanus Supervoid or "Great Void", reported on 24 August 2007 by the NRAO from Very Large Array Sky Survey data.[11] This void, if real, would be much larger than the others listed here (except the Giant Void), about 300 Mpc in diameter and 1800–3000 Mpc distant (where h is the dimensionless Hubble parameter). It would be associated with (and be the explanation of) a cold spot in the cosmic microwave background at the sky location. The evidence for such a "Great Void" is disputed by Smith and Huterer.[12] They showed that the claims made of observational evidence for such a void from survey data neglected systematic effects and did not account for a posteriori choices made in analyzing data. | |||
| Southern Eridanus Void | The Southern Eridanus void is connected to the Eridanus void by a hole in the distribution of galaxies separating the two. A hole in the distribution of galaxies separating Sculptor and Southern Eridanus voids the size of (redshift) 1250 km/s appears to exist. | |||||
| Fornax Void | ||||||
| Hercules Void | cz=7000 km/s | 3100 km/s | [13] Discovered in 1979[14] | |||
| Hydra Void | The Hydra Void lies beyond the Hydra–Centaurus Supercluster | |||||
| Leo Void | cz=4000 km/s | [15] | ||||
| Microscopium Void | A hole in the distribution of galaxies separating Sculptor and Microscopium voids the size of (redshift) 1250 km/s appears to exist. This is roughly 1/2 of Microscopium's diameter. | |||||
| Ophiuchus Void | near | < 5000 km/s (the outer limit) | perhaps 0–5000 km/s | 25% of average universe density is the void density of matter. The far end of this void is defined by the Ophiuchus Supercluster.[16] | ||
| Pegasus Void | cz=5500 km/s | 40 Mpc | [17] The Perseus–Pisces Supercluster and Pegasus Supercluster form a sheet separate the Northern Local Void and Southern Local Void from the Pegasus Void. | |||
| Perseus–Pisces Void | cz=8000 km/s | 3000 km/s | Discovered in 1980, it is also called the Perseus Void | |||
| Sagittarius Void | ||||||
| Sculptor Void | 34.8 Mpc/h | Corresponds to SRSS1 Void 3 and SRSS2 Void 5[18] This void is separated from the Eridanus Void by a sheet of galaxies. A hole in the distribution of galaxies separating Sculptor and Southern Eridanus Voids the size of 1250 km/s appears to exist.[19] The Sculptor Void lies next to the Southern Wall or Southern Great Wall. | ||||
| Taurus Void | 30 Mpc | The Taurus Void appears large and circular, and has walls of galaxies surrounding it. It lies next to the Perseus–Pisces Supercluster, and is the most visually identifiable. Several galaxies have been found to reside in the void, such as UGC 2627 and UGC 2629, both approximately 185 million light years away.[20] | ||||
In 1985, Tully determined a local dominant supercluster plane, and found the Pisces–Cetus Supercluster Complex.[22]
| Coordinates | Distance | Diameter | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (Mpc) | ||||
| 1 | 90 | 140 | ||
| 2 | 100 | 136 | ||
| 3 | 150 | 150 | ||
| 4 | 170 | 173 | ||
| 5 | 180 | 158 | Boötes Void | |
| 6 | 190 | 171 | ||
| 7 | 190 | 174 | ||
| 8 | 250 | 170 | ||
| 9 | 280 | 229 | ||
| 10 | 310 | 243 | ||
| 11 | 310 | 270 | ||
In a 1985 study of Abell clusters, 29 voids were determined, in the sphere z<0.1 around Earth.[23]
| Coordinates | Distance | Diameter | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (Mpc) | ||||
| 1 | 293 | 100 | ||
| 2 | 276 | 100 | ||
| 3 | 284 | 100 | ||
| 4 | 275 | 150 | ||
| 5 | 300 | 100 | ||
| 6 | 220 | 100 | ||
| 7 | 180 | 120 | ||
| 8 | 137 | 140 | ||
| 9 | 262 | 200 | ||
| 10 | 285 | 110 | ||
| 11 | 219 | 110 | ||
| 12 | 293 | 120 | ||
| 13 | 206 | 110 | ||
| 14 | 276 | 100 | ||
| 15 | 272 | 150 | ||
| 16 | 237 | 100 | ||
| 17 | 105 | 110 | ||
| 18 | 154 | 200 | Boötes Void | |
| 19 | 297 | 110 | ||
| 20 | 265 | 210 | ||
| 21 | 283 | 160 | ||
| 22 | 286 | 140 | ||
| 23 | 295 | 110 | ||
| 24 | 291 | 130 | ||
| 25 | 110 | 100 | ||
| 26 | 237 | 100 | ||
| 27 | 155 | 130 | ||
| 28 | 284 | 160 | ||
| 29 | 203 | 120 | ||
A redshift survey of galaxies in the southern sky in 1988, out to a distance of 120 Mpc/h, revealed some voids.[24]
| Coordinates | Distance (V) | Dimensions W × H × D (Mpc) | Constellation | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3000 km/s | 30 × 30 × 40 | Phoenix/Eridanus | Located just behind the galaxy concentration in Eridanus-Fornax-Dorado | ||
| 2 | 5000 km/s | 30 × 30 × 30 | Capricornus/Microscopium | |||
| 3 | 6000 km/s | 70 × 30 × 50 | Sculptor/Grus | |||
| 4 | 9000 km/s | 50 × 100 × 50 | Horologium/Eridanus |
In 1994, a redshift survey in the southern sky identified 18 voids, 11 of which are major voids.
| Coordinates | Distance (r) | Diameter (Mpc) | Constellation | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 85.7 | 54.3 | Cetus | major void | ||
| 2 | 99.7 | 56.2 | Fornax | major void SRSS1 Void 4 | ||
| 3 | 107.2 | 60.8 | Aquarius | major void | ||
| 4 | 66.7 | 35.6 | Capricornus | major void | ||
| 5 | 53.0 | 34.8 | Aquarius/Sculptor | major void SRSS1 Void 3 (Sculptor Void) | ||
| 6 | 56.5 | 32.0 | Eridanus | major void | ||
| 7 | 77.2 | 25.5 | Eridanus | major void | ||
| 8 | 83.9 | 27.8 | Aquarius | major void | ||
| 9 | 114.6 | 39.0 | Eridanus | major void | ||
| 10 | 104.7 | 34.8 | Cetus | major void | ||
| 11 | 112.8 | 42.9 | Sculptor | major void | ||
| 12 | 74.8 | 25.0 | Piscis Austrinus/Sculptor | |||
| 13 | 31.0 | 22.1 | Cetus | SRSS1 Void 1 | ||
| 14 | 87.2 | 21.3 | Piscis Austrinus/Microscopium | |||
| 15 | 116.1 | 27.3 | Microscopium | |||
| 16 | 36.5 | 20.3 | Capricornus | |||
| 17 | 32.1 | 19.0 | Eridanus | |||
| 18 | 85.9 | 21.1 | Eridanus |
A 1994 census lists a total of 27 supervoids within a cube of 740 Mpc a side, centered on us (z=0.1 distant sphere).[25]
| Coordinates (B1950.0) | Distance (Mpc/h) | Diameter (Mpc/h) [26] | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19.0° | 134 | 88 | ||
| 2 | 28.2° | 207 | 96 | ||
| 3 | 34.8° | 216 | 72 | ||
| 4 | 36.6° | 241 | 86 | ||
| 5 | 37.8° | 129 | 92 | ||
| 6 | 46.0° | 236 | 72 | ||
| 7 | 62.0° | 248 | 100 | ||
| 8 | 71.2° | 201 | 76 | ||
| 9 | 121.7° | 96 | 112 | Southern Local Supervoid | |
| 10 | 130.0° | 246 | 144 | ||
| 11 | 140.4° | 160 | 92 | ||
| 12 | 146.9° | 227 | 106 | ||
| 13 | 153.1° | 246 | 94 | ||
| 14 | 159.9° | 167 | 68 | ||
| 15 | 161.6° | 241 | 98 | ||
| 16 | 167.4° | 222 | 74 | ||
| 17 | 186.9° | 216 | 94 | ||
| 18 | 196.8° | 119 | 102 | ||
| 19 | 204.8° | 119 | 108 | ||
| 20 | 214.6° | 216 | 78 | Boötes Void (Great Void) | |
| 21 | 216.7° | 143 | 116 | ||
| 22 | 219.8° | 246 | 96 | ||
| 23 | 220.2° | 219 | 72 | ||
| 24 | 256.1° | 61 | 104 | Northern Local Supervoid | |
| 25 | 353.0° | 198 | 74 | ||
| 26 | 356.6° | 246 | 80 | ||
| 27 | 358.9° | 241 | 70 |
In a 1995 study of IRAS data looking for large-scale structure in the Galactic Anticenter in the Zone of Avoidance, four voids were discovered.[27]
| Coordinates (B1950.0) | Distance (km/s) | Dimensions | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| V0 | 1000 | 96°×36°×2000 km/s | |||
| V1 | 3750 | 15°×36°×3500 km/s | V1 and V2 are connected, and block the Perseus–Pisces Supercluster from traversing the Zone of Avoidance. | ||
| V2 | 8000 | 25°×14°×2000 km/s | V1 and V2 are connected, and block the Perseus–Pisces Supercluster from traversing the Zone of Avoidance. | ||
| V3 | 7000 | 30°×20°×2000 km/s | This void lies in front of the CfA2 Great Wall. |
Analysis of the IRAS redshift survey in 1997 revealed 24 voids, 12 of which were termed "significant"[28]
| Supergalactic Coordinates (r,X,Y,Z) | Diameter (Mpc) | Data | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | (55.2,-10.4,-53.8,6.1) | 51.0 | significant void | ||
| 2 | (49.6,-25.3,31.4,-28.9) | 43.8 | significant void | ||
| 3 | (46.0,-24.8,26.7,28.1) | 44.5 | significant void | ||
| 4 | (46.5,8.7,24.7,38.4) | 45.0 | significant void (Local Void) | ||
| 5 | (32.0,-13.0,-23.9,-16.9) | 36.0 | significant void | ||
| 6 | (51.5,17.0,-32.2,36.4) | 41.4 | significant void | ||
| 7 | (57.1,31.2,44.9,16.5) | 43.5 | significant void | ||
| 8 | (60.4,-25.8,-22.7,-49.7) | 39.5 | significant void | ||
| 9 | (49.8,35.9,-25.6,-23.0) | 36.0 | significant void | ||
| 10 | (63.3,-48.0,-40.9,6.0) | 33.6 | significant void (Sculptor Void) | ||
| 11 | (48.6,11.8,46.6,-6.9) | 32.0 | significant void | ||
| 12 | (49.9,-15.6,-35.7,31.3) | 31.5 | significant void | ||
| 13 | (62.8,14.2,29.3,-53.7) | 40.3 | |||
| 14 | (19.0,0.7,-16.4,9.6) | 28.8 | |||
| 15 | (37.6,32.4,-17.0,8.6) | 30.4 | Perseus–Pisces Void |