Cosmic Web: The Universe’s Vast Structure of Matter

  1. The cosmic web is the largest-scale structure in the universe, spanning billions of light-years.
  2. It is made of vast filaments of galaxies, gas, and dark matter.
  3. Between the filaments lie enormous voids—regions nearly empty of galaxies.
  4. Galaxy clusters form at the intersections of these filaments, like cosmic crossroads.
  5. The web resembles a 3D spiderweb or neural network on a cosmic scale.
  6. Simulations show the cosmic web grew from tiny density fluctuations after the Big Bang.
  7. Dark matter provides the scaffolding that shapes the web’s structure.
  8. Observations of hydrogen gas and galaxy distribution help map the web.
  9. The largest known structures, like the Sloan Great Wall, are parts of this web.
  10. Studying the cosmic web reveals how gravity, dark matter, and dark energy shape the universe.