We know well that matter is not distributed in a form of all homogeneous throughout the observable universe. The galaxies like the one we live are great clusters of matter in which the stars are born and died, and with them other objects such as planets and asteroids.
However, that is only part of the story.
In sight. A group of researchers has achieved Capture directly and in “high definition” an image of the so -called cosmic network, a network of gas filaments that extend throughout millions of light years in the intergalactic space. He has done it from the VLT, the large telescope that the Southern European Observatory has installed in Chile.
A cosmic network. The subject in the universe is not only concentrated in the galaxies. Moreover, the subject distributed in intergalactic space plays a fundamental role in the structure of our cosmos. Physical interactions lead to this matter to be distributed in an interesting way.
He does it In immense filamentsgas clouds that form an immense network that connects the galaxies around it. The gas that accumulates in this network of “cosmic highways” is the one that feeds the stars of the bright galaxies located at the intersections of this network.
Huge, and almost invisible. In addition to the gas that feeds the stars, dark matter also plays an important role in the structuring of this network as indicated by the team responsible for this new image. Observing this dark matter is impossible today, but capturing the gas columns that accompany it, the “star fuel”, is possible.
Hundreds of hours. Overcome this difficulty Requires dedicationeven for our most powerful telescopes. That is why capturing this image required hundreds of hours of observation by the VLT (Vary Large Telescope), The telescope of the European Observatory (ESO) installed in the Atacama desert, in Chile.
The team resorted to the Muse instrument (Multi–Unit Spectroscopic Explorer), An advanced spectrograph installed in the Chilean telescope. The details of the process were published In an article In the magazine Nature Astronomy.
In the image, in color, the diffuse gas that extends around and between the remarked galaxies can be seen. Davide Tornotti/University of Milano-Bicocca.
Three million light years. The team used ultraprecisous data compiled by the telescope to create the most clear image ever achieved by one of the filaments that make up the cosmic network. The filament in question extends over three million light years and Connect two distant galaxieseach of them with its own supermassive black hole.
“By capturing the dim light emitted by this filament, which has traveled for just under 12,000 million years to reach the Earth, we are able to accurately characterize its form,” Explain in a press release Davide Tornotti, co -author of the study.
The team also highlights that the accuracy of the new data has allowed “Draw the border” between the gas of the galaxies themselves and all the subject that we associate with this cosmic web. And all through direct measurements.
Validate the theory. In his study, the team used these direct observations to test the theoretical cosmological models. And with a positive result: “When comparing it to the new high definition image, we find a substantial agreement between theory and observations,” Tornotti indicated.
Even so, the team also points out that they will continue working on the study of these structures. “One is none,” that is, with the image of one of these elements, it is not enough to draw generalizable conclusions about these key structures for our cosmos but as unknown as the filaments that make up the cosmic network.
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