Need Help Finding Information for Article

AI Thread Summary
The discussion centers on the challenges of writing an article about inter-galactic voids and supervoids for a general audience. The author is struggling with conflicting measurements of these structures, particularly the Eridanus supervoid, which is cited as having diameters ranging from one billion to three and a half billion light years. There is a need for reliable resources that provide consistent measurements in light years rather than megaparsecs. The author emphasizes the importance of quality in their work while aiming to engage readers who may not be familiar with astronomical terms. The conversation highlights the difficulties of conveying complex scientific information to a lay audience.
Moloch11
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Hi folks, it's been a long while since I've posted here, but, I need help.

I'm trying to write an article for the "Space News" board on another forum I'm a member on; about inter-galactic voids and supervoids. The problem is that I keep finding measurements for their size in both megaparsecs and light years. When I do the math to convert from megaparsecs, though, to keep it simpler for folks who have never heard of a megaparsec, I get conflicting results, especially when I check them against what I already have both measurements for.

Also, I'm getting measurements for some that vary wildly from one another. For example, I'm getting a diameter measurement of about one billion light years for the Eridanus supervoid, but other sources I have seen put its diameter at three and a half billion light years.

While this is not an academic article; I do care about the quality of my work and I also am trying to get folks interested in something worthwhile.

Any resources you folks can point me towards that will give me a definitive answer and can tell me the diameters of these structures in light years, instead of megaparsecs, would be appreciated.
 
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Moloch11 said:
Also, I'm getting measurements for some that vary wildly from one another. For example, I'm getting a diameter measurement of about one billion light years for the Eridanus supervoid, but other sources I have seen put its diameter at three and a half billion light years.

Isn't an astronomer defined as someone who considers one billion light years to be the same as three billion light years, to within error bars?
 
bcrowell said:
Isn't an astronomer defined as someone who considers one billion light years to be the same as three billion light years, to within error bars?

Probably. However, I'm writing this article for laymen. Shoot, I'm not much more knowledgeable than they are.
 
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