Space has very big shapes.
These shapes look like long threads. They are made of many star groups. They help make the whole sky. The universe is very huge! Can you imagine such a big thing?
Space has very big shapes.
These shapes look like long threads. They are made of many star groups. These threads form a giant web. This web marks the edges of empty spots.
The web is the biggest thing we know. The universe is growing very fast. This growth pulls the star groups apart. Soon, these long threads will break. They will go away in the far future. Space is truly amazing!
The universe has a very big shape.
It looks like a giant web. This web is made of galaxy filaments. Filaments are long, thin shapes made of many galaxy groups. These filaments form the edges of empty spots called voids.
Some filaments are shaped like walls. These galaxy walls are much wider than they are thick. The Hercules–Corona Borealis Great Wall is the largest structure we know. It is more than 10 billion light-years across. Scientists first found large structures like this in the late 1980s.
Space is also growing very fast. This is called the expansion of the universe. This growth pulls the galaxy groups away from each other. Because of this, the filaments will eventually break apart. They will dissolve in the far future. For now, they define the structure of everything we see.
Galaxy filaments are the largest structures in our universe.
They look like long, thin threads stretching through space. These threads are made of many galaxy clusters grouped together. They form a giant cosmic web that defines the shape of everything we see. These structures also act as the boundaries for huge empty spaces called voids.
Without these filaments, the universe would not have this organized pattern.
These structures work by grouping galaxies into specific shapes. Some are called filaments, which are roughly the same width as they are long. Other structures are called galaxy walls. These walls are much wider than they are thick.
The universe is also expanding at an accelerating rate. This expansion pulls the galaxy clusters away from one another. Because of this pull, these giant filaments will eventually dissolve in the far future.
People first began finding structures larger than superclusters in the late 1980s. In 1987, R. Brent Tully identified the Pisces–Cetus Supercluster Complex. The CfA2 Great Wall was discovered in 1989. Later, the Sloan Great Wall was found in 2003.
In 2013, Roger Clowes and his team found the Huge-LQG. This was a large group of quasars that was much bigger than previous filaments. These discoveries changed how we see the map of space.
There are many different sizes and names for these structures. The Quipu is a filament that reaches 400 megaparsecs in length. The Hercules–Corona Borealis Great Wall is even larger. It measures more than 10 billion light-years across.
The CfA2 Great Wall is 251 megaparsecs long and 250 megaparsecs wide. The Sloan Great Wall was 433 megaparsecs long. Each of these names tells us about a specific part of the cosmic web.
You can think of these filaments like the threads in a giant net.
Just as a net holds things in place, these filaments hold galaxies in a pattern. The voids are like the empty holes in the net. This web structure helps us understand how the whole universe is put together. Even though the universe is growing, these structures show us the grand design. It is a huge, connected system that stretches across the sky.
Galaxy filaments are the largest known structures in the entire universe.
These massive formations consist of walls of galactic superclusters. They act as the primary building blocks of the cosmic web. This web defines the overall structure of the observable universe. Filaments also serve as the boundaries between vast, empty spaces called voids.
Without these structures, the universe would lack its organized, web-like pattern.
These structures function through the grouping of galaxies into specific shapes. Astronomers classify them into different subtypes based on their dimensions. The filament subtype has roughly similar major and minor axes in cross-section. This means they look like long, thin threads along their lengthwise axis. In contrast, the galaxy wall subtype is much different. Walls have a significantly greater major axis than their minor axis. This makes them appear much wider than they are thick.
Many different types of filaments and walls exist throughout space. The Coma Filament contains the Coma Supercluster and is part of the CfA2 Great Wall. The Perseus–Pegasus Filament was connected to the Pisces–Cetus Supercluster in 1985. Other examples include the Ursa Major Filament and the Lynx–Ursa Major Filament. There are also massive structures known as Large Quasar Groups, or LQGs. These groups are theorized to be precursors to galaxy filaments. They may eventually grow into protohyperclusters or proto-supercluster-complexes.
Humans began discovering structures larger than superclusters in the late 1980s. In 1987, R. Brent Tully identified the Pisces–Cetus Supercluster Complex. The CfA2 Great Wall was discovered shortly after in 1989. This was the first super-large scale structure ever found. In 2003, astronomers discovered the Sloan Great Wall. Later, in 2013, Roger Clowes and his team announced the Huge-LQG. This large quasar group was much larger than any previously known filament.
Scale is a vital part of understanding these cosmic structures. Most filaments commonly reach lengths of 50 to 80 megaparsecs. The Quipu is a notable filament that reaches 400 megaparsecs. The CfA2 Great Wall measures 251 megaparsecs long and 250 megaparsecs wide. The Sloan Great Wall is even longer at 433 megaparsecs. However, the Hercules–Corona Borealis Great Wall is the largest known structure. It measures more than 10 billion light-years across.
The movement of the universe affects these structures over time. The universe is currently undergoing an accelerating expansion. This expansion causes individual galaxy clusters to move away from each other. Because these clusters are gravitationally bound, they form the filaments. However, the acceleration is so great that they will eventually move apart. In the far future, these massive filaments will dissolve.
Understanding filaments helps scientists connect many different ideas in cosmology. They show how matter is distributed across the observable universe. The relationship between filaments and voids creates a complex, interconnected system. By studying these walls and threads, we learn about the history of space. We also learn how gravity and expansion compete to shape the cosmos.
These structures are the ultimate map of the universe's grand design.
Where will your curiosity go next?
🖼️ Images & Media (2)
More to explore
✨ What else?
Related topics you might enjoy
🪜 Step back
Simpler topics to build understanding
What is Nepedia?
A free, ad-free encyclopedia for children. Every article is written at five reading levels, so the same page works for a five-year-old and a fifteen-year-old — use the level switcher above to see this one change. No account needed to read.