Local Hole

High school (ages 12+)
Space & Astronomy

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/local-hole

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the cosmic structure classification?A supervoid, characterized by a significant underdensity of matter
2. What is the estimated diameter?Approximately 2 billion light-years (600 megaparsecs)
3. What is the KBC Void?The KBC Void is a huge, nearly empty bubble in space that is about 2 billion light‑years across. It has far fewer galaxies and galaxy clusters than usual, but it still contains our Milky Way and parts of the Laniakea Supercluster.
4. Why is it called the "Local Hole"?It is called the Local Hole because it is a very large empty space right near us, with a noticeable lack of galaxies compared to other regions of the universe.

Underdensity: A region in space with a lower-than-average concentration of matter.
ΛCDM model: The Lambda-CDM model, the standard cosmological model describing the universe's composition and evolution, including dark energy and cold dark matter.
Hubble Constant (H₀): A fundamental cosmological parameter representing the rate at which the universe is expanding.
Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB): The faint afterglow of the Big Bang, providing a snapshot of the early universe.