Researchers at the University of Oxford have identified a cosmic filament spanning approximately 50 million lightyears.
- Key Finding: By analyzing 14 galaxies within this structure, the team observed that their spin alignment suggests the entire filament is slowly rotating.
- Significance: This structure is classified as one of the largest spinning objects ever discovered in the universe, challenging previous assumptions that such massive structures were static.
What are Cosmic Filaments?
- Definition: They are the largest “threads” in the universe’s Cosmic Web, linking giant galaxy clusters.
- Composition: Formed by the gravitational collapse of gas, dark matter, and galaxies into long, thin strands.
- Location: They exist between vast, empty regions of space known as Cosmic Voids.
- Formation Mechanism:
- They originate from primordial ripples in the early universe.
- They form where vast “sheets” of matter intersect and collapse under gravity.
How do they Function as ‘Galactic Highways’?
- Matter Transport: Filaments act as conduits along which gas and smaller galaxies flow toward massive clusters.
- Angular Momentum: As material falls into these filaments, it can transfer rotational energy, causing both the filament and the embedded galaxies to spin.
- Evolutionary Impact: They play a deterministic role in:
- The location of galaxy formation.
- The rate of galactic growth.
- The replenishment of fresh gas over billions of years
