Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Article
  • Published:

The density field of the local Universe

Nature volume 349, pages 32–38 (1991)Cite this article

Abstract

An all-sky redshift survey of galaxies detected by IRAS (the Infrared Astronomical Satellite) has been used to map the Universe out to 140h−1 Mpc (the Hubble constant H0 =100h km s−1 Mpc−1). Well-known superclusters and voids are seen, as are others not previously identified. The inferred underlying distribution of density is found to be skewed to high densities (the voids are larger than the superclusters but depart less from the mean density); and there is more structure on large scales than is predicted by the standard cold dark matter theory of galaxy formation.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Kaiser, N. Mon. Not. R. astr. Soc. 219, 785–790 (1990).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  2. Rowan-Robinson, R., Saunders, W., Lawrence, A. & Leech, K. L. Mon. Not. R. astr. Soc (submitted).

  3. Saunders, W. et al. Mon. Not R. astr. Soc. 242, 318–337 (1990).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  4. Rowan-Robinson, M., et al. Mon. Not. R. astr. Soc. 247, 1–18 (1990).

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  5. Efstathiou, G. et al. Mon. Not. R. astr. Soc. 247, 10p–14p (1990).

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  6. Strauss, M. & Davis, M. in Proc. 3rd IRAS Conf., Cornets to Cosmology (ed. Lawrence, A.) 361–369 (Springer, Berlin, 1988).

    Google Scholar 

  7. Shapley, H. & Ames, A. Ann. Harvard College Obs. 88(2) (1932).

  8. Zwicky, F. et al. Catalog of Galaxies and Clusters of Galaxies (California Institute of Technology, 1961–1968).

    Google Scholar 

  9. Shane, C. D. & Wirtanen, C. A. Publ. Lick Obs. 22, 1 (1967).

    Google Scholar 

  10. Davis, M., Huchra, J., Latham, D. W. & Tonry, J. Astrophys. J. 253, 423–445 (1982).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  11. da Costa, L. N. et al. Astrophys. J. 327, 544–560 (1989).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  12. Geller, M. J. & Huchra, J. P. Science 246, 897–903 (1990).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  13. Loveday, J. D. thesis, Univ. Cambridge (1989).

  14. Giovanelli, R. & Haynes, M. P. in Large Scale Structures of the Universe, IAU Colloq. 130 (eds Audouze, J, Pelletan, M-C. & Szalay, A) 113–120 (Kluwer, 1988).

    Book  Google Scholar 

  15. Tully, R. B. Astrophys. J. 303, 25–38 (1986).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Tully, R. B. Astrophys. J. 323, 1–18 (1987).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  17. Bahcall, N. A. & Soneira, R. M. Astrophys. J. 277, 27–37 (1984).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  18. Peebles, P. J. E. The Large Scale Structure of the Universe (Princeton University Press, 1980).

    Google Scholar 

  19. Hacking, P. B., Condon, J. J. & Houck, J. R. Astrophys. J. 316, L15–L19 (1987).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Lonsdale, C. J., Hacking, P. B., Conrow, T. P. & Rowan-Robinson, M. Astrophys. J. 358, 60–80 (1990).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  21. Rowan-Robinson, M. Space Sci. Rev. 48, 1–71 (1988).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  22. Kaiser, N. Mon. Not. R. astr. Soc. 227, 1–21 (1987).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  23. Lahav, O., Rowan-Robinson, M. & Lynden-Bell, D. Mon. Not. R. astr. Soc. 234, 677–701 (1988).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  24. Kaiser, N. & Lahav, O. Mon. Not. R. astr. Soc. 237, 129–162 (1989).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  25. Cox, A. H. & Miller, R. J. The Theory of Stochastic Processes (1974).

    Google Scholar 

  26. Kendall, M. G. & Stuart, A. Tne Advanced Theory of Statistics Vol. 2, 4th edn (Griffin, 1979).

    Google Scholar 

  27. White, S. D. M., Frenk, C. S., Davis, M. & Efstathiou, G. Astrophys. J. 313, 505–516 (1987).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Frenk, C. S., White, S. D. M., Efstathiou, G. & Davis, M. Astrophys. J. 351, 10–21 (1990).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Burstein, D. et al. in Large Scale Structure and Motions in the Universe (eds Mezzetti, M., Guiricin, G. T., Mardirossian, F. & Ramella, M.) (Kluwer, 1989).

    Google Scholar 

  30. Fairall, A. P. & Jones, A. Publs Dept Astr. Cape Town 10 (1988).

  31. Scaramella, R., Baiesi-Pillastrini, G., Chincarini, G., Vettolani, G. & Zamorani, G. Nature 338, 562–564 (1989).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Astrophysics, University of Oxford, Keble Road, Oxford, OX2 3RJ, UK

    Will Saunders & George Efstathiou

  2. Astronomy Unit, Queen Mary and Westfield College, Mile End Road, London, E1 4NS, UK

    Will Saunders, Michael Rowan-Robinson & John Crawford

  3. Department of Physics, University of Durham, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK

    Carlos Frenk, Richard Ellis, Xiao-Yang Xia & Ian Parry

  4. Department of Physics, Queen Mary and Westfield College, Mile End Road, London, E1 4NS, UK

    Andy Lawrence

  5. Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5S 1A1

    Nick Kaiser

Authors
  1. Will Saunders
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Carlos Frenk
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Michael Rowan-Robinson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. George Efstathiou
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Andy Lawrence
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Nick Kaiser
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Richard Ellis
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. John Crawford
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Xiao-Yang Xia
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  10. Ian Parry
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Saunders, W., Frenk, C., Rowan-Robinson, M. et al. The density field of the local Universe. Nature 349, 32–38 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1038/349032a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/349032a0

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing