Scientists capture an unprecedented image of the cosmic web that connects the galaxies

In an innovative advance for cosmology, an international researchers’ team obtained the sharper image to the date of a cosmic filament that connects two galaxies in formation.

This discovery, made after hundreds of hours of observation with the concert muse in the Very Large Telescope of the Southern European Observatory in Chile, allows an accurate and unprecedented characterization of the cosmic web structure.

According to, for decades, cosmologists theorized that matter in the universe is not distributed homogeneously, but organized into a wide network of interconnected filaments.

This cosmic webcomposed mainly of dark matter and intergalactic gas, serves as a scaffold on which galaxies and other astronomical objects are formed.

In the intersections of these filaments, where gravity concentrates higher amounts of matter, the brightest galaxies arise.

One of the biggest challenges of astronomy has been the direct observation of these filaments, since the intergalactic gas is extremely diffuse and emits a very faint shine.

So far, its existence could only be inferred indirectly by absorbing light from distant sources. However, the instruments of the previous generation did not have the necessary sensitivity to capture the direct emission of these filaments.

The new study, led by Davide TornottiPhD student at the University of Milan-Bicocca, is a milestone in the observation of the cosmos.

Thanks to the ultra-precedence skills of concert muse, scientists managed to capture most detailed image of a cosmic filament that extends for more than three million light years and that connects two active galaxies, each with a supermassive black hole in its nucleus,

The team spent hundreds of hours to observe to collect data with high statistical significance, thus achieving a precise characterization of the filament.

This image, recently in the magazine Nature Astronomyallows, for the first time, distinguish the gas contained inside the galaxies of the material present in the cosmic web.

The discovery not only represents a milestone in the observation of the universeas well as empirically confirms the computational simulations made at the Max Planck Institute of Astrophysics. These simulations provide for the expected emission of cosmic filaments based on the current cosmological model.

When comparing the high definition image of the filament with our simulations, we found a substantial correspondence between theory and observationObserva Tornotti.

This discovery opens new possibilities for the study of galactic evolution and intergalactic gas dynamics. Direct observation of these filaments will allow scientists to better understand how gas is supplied to galaxies and how to influence star formation.

Fabrizio Arrison Batttia, Researcher at the Max Planck Institute and study co -author, underlines the importance of continuing to explore these structures. “We are enthusiastic about this high definition observation of a cosmic filament, but as they say in Bavaria:“ Eine Ist Keine ” – One is not enough. This is why we continue to collect more data to discover other filaments and obtain a comprehensive view of the cosmic web. ”

This study represents a significant step in understanding the architecture of the universe and paves the way to future observations with even more advanced technologies. The ability to analyze in detail will help solve some of the fundamental mysteries related to the formation of galaxies and cosmic evolution.