Great Wall Facts for Kids

The Great Walls are the biggest known structures in the universe. They are huge collections of galaxies and other cosmic objects. Scientists found them by mapping gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). These maps showed many GRBs gathered in certain areas, forming these giant walls.

Some of these structures are incredibly large, stretching over 1.2 billion light years. Scientists believe structures this big don't quite fit with the idea of the cosmological principle. This principle suggests that the universe looks mostly the same everywhere on a very large scale.

Here are some of the largest cosmic structures discovered so far:

**Some of the Biggest Cosmic Structures**
Structure Name (Year Discovered)	Size (in light years)	What Makes It Special
Hercules-Corona Borealis Great Wall (2014)	10,000,000,000	This is the first structure found to be larger than 10 billion light years. Scientists found it by mapping gamma-ray bursts.
Giant GRB Ring (2015)	5,600,000,000	This structure was also found using gamma-ray burst mapping. It is the largest known regular shape in the part of the universe we can see.
Huge-LQG (2012-2013)	4,000,000,000	This is a group of 73 quasars. It was the first structure found to be larger than 3 billion light years.
U1.11 LQG (2011)	2,500,000,000	This group includes 38 quasars. It is located next to another large group called the Clowes-Campusano LQG.
Clowes-Campusano LQG (1991)	2,000,000,000	This is a group of 34 quasars. Roger Clowes and Luis Campusano discovered it.
Sloan Great Wall (2003)	1,370,000,000	This wall was found using data from the 2dF Galaxy Redshift Survey and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey.
Pisces-Cetus Supercluster Complex (1987)	1,000,000,000	Our own Milky Way galaxy is part of this complex. It was the first large group of galaxies (galaxy filament) ever discovered.
CfA2 Great Wall (1989)	750,000,000	This structure is also known as the Coma Wall.
Laniakea Supercluster (2014)	520,000,000	This is the supercluster of galaxies where our Earth is located.
Horologium Supercluster (2005)	550,000,000	This supercluster is also known as the Horologium-Reticulum Supercluster.

Images for kids

Huayi tu, a 1136 map of China with the Great Wall depicted on the northern edge of the country
The Great Wall of the Qin stretches from Lintao to Liaodong
The Great Wall of the Han is the longest of all walls, from Mamitu near Yumenguan to Liaodong
The extent of the Ming Empire and its walls
Part of the Great Wall of China (April 1853, X, p. 41)
The Great Wall in 1907
A more rural portion of the Great Wall that stretches through the mountains, here seen in slight disrepair
Identical satellite images of a section of the Great Wall in northern Shanxi, running diagonally from lower left to upper right and not to be confused with the more prominent river running from upper left to lower right. In the image on the right, the Great Wall has been outlined in red. The region pictured is 12 km × 12 km (7 mi × 7 mi).
Great Wall of Han dynasty near Yumenguan.
Ming dynasty Great Wall at Jinshanling
Remains of Beacon tower near Yumenguan, 2011
"The First Mound" – at Jiayu Pass, the western terminus of the Ming wall
The Great Wall near Jiayu Pass
Ming Great Wall remnant near Yinchuan
The Great Wall remnant at Yulin
The Great Wall at Badaling
The Juyongguan area of the Great Wall accepts numerous tourists each day
Gateway of Gubeikou Fortress
Environmental protection sign near Great Wall, 2011
Ming Great Wall at Simatai, overlooking the gorge
Mutianyu Great Wall. This is atop the wall on a section that has not been restored
The Old Dragon Head, the Great Wall where it meets the sea in the vicinity of Shanhai Pass
The Great Wall at dawn
Inside the watchtower
Badaling Great Wall during winter

Great Wall facts for kids

Images for kids

See also