large-scale structure · cosmological

Cosmic web

At the largest scales in this release, galaxies collect into a filament-and-void pattern that demands representation literacy.

Scale

hundreds of millions to billions of light-years across for major structures

Structure

filaments, clusters, walls and voids

Formation / process

large-scale matter distribution grows under gravity from early density differences

Observation

galaxy surveys and simulations reveal statistical structure

Representation

web imagery is commonly a data visualization or simulation, not a literal photograph

Evidence state

Verified / sourced

Core factual statements below are linked to reviewed NASA sources. Descriptive framing is ICU editorial synthesis.

Sourced facts

NASA describes the cosmic web as threadlike large-scale structure built from galaxies and larger groupings.
Visualizations may make otherwise invisible intergalactic structure legible.

Source register

No external image is embedded on this record. Visual treatment is authored CSS/HTML presentation.