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Galaxy filament

Topic: Astronomy

 From HandWiki - Reading time: 12 min

Short description: Largest structures in the universe, made of galaxies
Galaxy filaments, walls and voids form web-like structures. Computer simulation.
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    Subject history

    In cosmology, galaxy filaments are the largest known structures in the universe, consisting of walls of galactic superclusters. These massive, thread-like formations can commonly reach 50 to 80 megaparsecs (160 to 260 megalight-years)—with the largest found to date being Quipu (400 megaparsecs),[1][2] and possibly the still unconfirmed Hercules-Corona Borealis Great Wall at around 3 gigaparsecs (9.8 Gly) in length—and form the boundaries between voids.[3] Due to the accelerating expansion of the universe, the individual clusters of gravitationally bound galaxies that make up galaxy filaments are moving away from each other at an accelerated rate; in the far future they will dissolve.[4]

    Galaxy filaments form the cosmic web and define the overall structure of the observable universe.[5][6][7]

    Discovery

    Discovery of structures larger than superclusters began in the late 1980s. In 1987, astronomer R. Brent Tully of the University of Hawaii's Institute of Astronomy identified what he called the Pisces–Cetus Supercluster Complex. The CfA2 Great Wall was discovered in 1989,[8] followed by the Sloan Great Wall in 2003.[9]

    In January 2013, researchers led by Roger Clowes of the University of Central Lancashire announced the discovery of a large quasar group, the Huge-LQG, which dwarfs previously discovered galaxy filaments in size.[10] In November 2013, using gamma-ray bursts as reference points, astronomers discovered the Hercules–Corona Borealis Great Wall, an extremely large filament measuring more than 10 billion light-years across.[11][12][13]

    Filaments

    The filament subtype of filaments have roughly similar major and minor axes in cross-section, along the lengthwise axis.

    Filaments of Galaxies
    Filament Date Mean distance Dimension Notes
    Coma Filament The Coma Supercluster lies within the Coma Filament.[14] It forms part of the CfA2 Great Wall.[15]
    Perseus–Pegasus Filament 1985 Connected to the Pisces–Cetus Supercluster, with the Perseus–Pisces Supercluster being a member of the filament.[16]
    Ursa Major Filament Connected to the CfA Homunculus, a portion of the filament forms a portion of the "leg" of the Homunculus.[17]
    Lynx–Ursa Major Filament (LUM Filament) 1999 from 2000 km/s to 8000 km/s in redshift space Connected to and separate from the Lynx–Ursa Major Supercluster.[17]
    z=2.38 filament around protocluster ClG J2143-4423 2004 z=2.38 110 Mpc A filament the length of the Great Wall was discovered in 2004. As of 2008, it was still the largest structure beyond redshift 2.[18][19][20][21]
    • A short filament was proposed by Adi Zitrin and Noah Brosch—detected by identifying an alignment of star-forming galaxies—in the neighborhood of the Milky Way and the Local Group.[22] The proposal of this filament, and of a similar but shorter filament, were the result of a study by McQuinn et al. (2014) based on distance measurements using the TRGB method.[23]

    Galaxy walls

    The galaxy wall subtype of filaments have a significantly greater major axis than minor axis in cross-section, along the lengthwise axis.

    Walls of Galaxies
    Wall Date Mean distance Dimension Notes
    CfA2 Great Wall (Coma Wall, Great Wall, Northern Great Wall, Great Northern Wall, CfA Great Wall) 1989 z=0.03058 251 Mpc long: 750 Mly long
    250 Mly wide
    20 Mly thick     		This was the first super-large large-scale structure or pseudo-structure in the universe to be discovered. The CfA Homunculus lies at the heart of the Great Wall, and the Coma Supercluster forms most of the homunculus structure. The Coma Cluster lies at the core.[24][25]
    Sloan Great Wall (SDSS Great Wall) 2003 z=0.07804 433 Mpc long This was the largest known galaxy filament to be discovered,[24] until it was eclipsed by the Hercules–Corona Borealis Great Wall found ten years later.
    Sculptor Wall (Southern Great Wall, Great Southern Wall, Southern Wall) 8000 km/s long
    5000 km/s wide
    1000 km/s deep (in redshift space dimensions)     		The Sculptor Wall is "parallel" to the Fornax Wall and "perpendicular" to the Grus Wall.[26][27]
    Grus Wall The Grus Wall is "perpendicular" to the Fornax and Sculptor Walls.[27]
    Fornax Wall The Fornax Cluster is part of this wall. The wall is "parallel" to the Sculptor Wall and "perpendicular" to the Grus Wall.[26][27]
    Hercules–Corona Borealis Great Wall 2013 z≈2[12] 3 Gpc long,[12]
    150 000 km/s deep[12]
    (in redshift space)     		The largest known structure in the universe.[11][12][13] This is also the first time since 1991 that a galaxy filament/great wall held the record as the largest known structure in the universe.
    • A "Centaurus Great Wall" (or "Fornax Great Wall" or "Virgo Great Wall") has been proposed, which would include the Fornax Wall as a portion of it (visually created by the Zone of Avoidance) along with the Centaurus Supercluster and the Virgo Supercluster, also known as the Local Supercluster, within which the Milky Way galaxy is located (implying this to be the Local Great Wall).[26][27]
    • A wall was proposed to be the physical embodiment of the Great Attractor, with the Norma Cluster as part of it. It is sometimes referred to as the Great Attractor Wall or Norma Wall.[28] This suggestion was superseded by the proposal of a supercluster, Laniakea, that would encompass the Great Attractor, Virgo Supercluster, Hydra–Centaurus Superclusters.[29]
    • A wall was proposed in 2000 to lie at z=1.47 in the vicinity of radio galaxy B3 0003+387.[30]
    • A wall was proposed in 2000 to lie at z=0.559 in the northern Hubble Deep Field (HDF North).[31][32]

    Map of nearest galaxy walls

    The Universe within 500 million light years, showing the nearest galaxy walls

    Large quasar groups

    Large quasar groups (LQGs) are some of the largest structures known.[33] They are theorized to be protohyperclusters/proto-supercluster-complexes/galaxy filament precursors.[34]

    Large Quasar Groups
    LQG Date Mean distance Dimension Notes
    Clowes–Campusano LQG
    (U1.28, CCLQG)     		1991 z=1.28
    • longest dimension: 630 Mpc
    		 It was the largest known structure in the universe from 1991 to 2011, until U1.11's discovery.
    U1.11 2011 z=1.11
    • longest dimension: 780 Mpc
    		 Was the largest known structure in the universe for a few months, until Huge-LQG's discovery.
    Huge-LQG 2012 z=1.27
    • characteristic size: 500 Mpc
    • longest dimension: 1.24 Gpc
    		It was the largest structure known in the universe,[33][34] until the discovery of the Hercules–Corona Borealis Great Wall found one year later.[12]

    Supercluster complex

    Pisces–Cetus Supercluster Complex

    Maps of large-scale distribution

    • The universe within 1 billion light-years (307 Mpc) of Earth, showing local superclusters forming filaments and voids
      The universe within 1 billion light-years (307 Mpc) of Earth, showing local superclusters forming filaments and voids
    • Map of nearest walls, voids and superclusters
      Map of nearest walls, voids and superclusters
    • 2dF survey map, containing the SDSS Great Wall
      2dF survey map, containing the SDSS Great Wall
    • 2MASS XSC infrared sky map
      2MASS XSC infrared sky map
    • A mosaic MeerKAT image of the Galactic Center at 20 cm with a 4 resolution.[35]
      A mosaic MeerKAT image of the Galactic Center at 20 cm with a 4 resolution.[35]

    See also

    References

    1. ↑ Gough, Evan (February 5, 2025). "Astronomers Find the Largest Structure in the Universe and Name it "Quipu"". Universe Today. https://www.universetoday.com/articles/astronomers-find-the-largest-structure-in-the-universe-and-name-it-quipu. 
    2. ↑ Bohringer, Hans; Chon, Gaoyung; Trumper, Joachim; Kraan-Korteweg, Renee; Schartel, Norbert (March 7, 2025). "Unveiling the largest structures in the nearby Universe: Discovery of the Quipu superstructure". Astronomy and Astrophysics 695 (A59). doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202453582. https://www.aanda.org/articles/aa/full_html/2025/03/aa53582-24/aa53582-24.html. Retrieved 8 July 2025. 
    3. ↑ Bharadwaj, Somnath; Bhavsar, Suketu; Sheth, Jatush V (2004). "The Size of the Longest Filaments in the Universe". Astrophys J 606 (1): 25–31. doi:10.1086/382140. Bibcode: 2004ApJ...606...25B. 
    4. ↑ Siegel, Ethan. "Our Home Supercluster, Laniakea, Is Dissolving Before Our Eyes" (in en). https://www.forbes.com/sites/startswithabang/2020/02/04/our-home-supercluster-laniakea-is-dissolving-before-our-eyes/. 
    5. ↑ "Cosmic Web" (in en). https://universe.nasa.gov/resources/89/cosmic-web. 
    6. ↑ Komberg, B. V.; Kravtsov, A. V.; Lukash, V. N. (October 1996). "The search for and investigation of large quasar groups" (in en). Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 282 (3): 713–722. doi:10.1093/mnras/282.3.713. ISSN 0035-8711. Bibcode: 1996MNRAS.282..713K. 
    7. ↑ Clowes, R. G. (2001). "Large Quasar Groups - A Short Review.". Astronomical Society of the Pacific 232: 108. ISBN 1-58381-065-X. Bibcode: 2001ASPC..232..108C. 
    8. ↑ Huchra, John P.; Geller, Margaret J. (17 November 1989). "M. J. Geller & J. P. Huchra, Science 246, 897 (1989).". Science 246 (4932): 897–903. doi:10.1126/science.246.4932.897. PMID 17812575. http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/246/4932/897. Retrieved 2009-09-18. 
    9. ↑ Sky and Telescope, "Refining the Cosmic Recipe" , 14 November 2003
    10. ↑ Wall, Mike (2013-01-11). "Largest structure in universe discovered". Fox News. https://www.foxnews.com/science/largest-structure-in-universe-discovered/. 
    11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Horvath, Istvan; Hakkila, Jon; Bagoly, Zsolt (2014). "Possible structure in the GRB sky distribution at redshift two". Astronomy & Astrophysics 561: id.L12. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201323020. Bibcode: 2014A&A...561L..12H. 
    12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 12.5 Horvath, I.; Hakkila, J.; Bagoly, Z. (2013). "The largest structure of the Universe, defined by Gamma-Ray Bursts". 7th Huntsville Gamma-Ray Burst Symposium, GRB 2013: Paper 33 in EConf Proceedings C1304143 1311: 1104. Bibcode: 2013arXiv1311.1104H. 
    13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Klotz, Irene (2013-11-19). "Universe's Largest Structure is a Cosmic Conundrum". Space.com. https://www.space.com/23754-universe-largest-structure-cosmic-conundrum.html. 
    14. ↑ Fontanelli, P. (1983). "Clustering in the Universe: A filament of galaxies in the Coma/A1367 supercluster". Astronomy and Astrophysics 138: 85–92. ISSN 0004-6361. Bibcode: 1984A&A...138...85F. 
    15. ↑ Gavazzi, Giuseppe; Catinella, Barbara; Carrasco, Luis et al. (May 1998). "The Star Formation Properties of Disk Galaxies: Hα Imaging of Galaxies in the Coma Supercluster". The Astronomical Journal 115 (5): 1745–1777. doi:10.1086/300314. Bibcode: 1998AJ....115.1745G. 
    16. ↑ Batuski, D. J.; Burns, J. O. (December 1985). "A possible 300 megaparsec filament of clusters of galaxies in Perseus-Pegasus" (in en). The Astrophysical Journal 299: 5. doi:10.1086/163677. ISSN 0004-637X. Bibcode: 1985ApJ...299....5B. 
    17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Takeuchi, Tsutomu T.; Tomita, Akihiko; Nakanishi, Kouichiro; Ishii, Takako T.; Iwata, Ikuru; Saitō, Mamoru (April 1999). "Photometric Properties of Kiso Ultraviolet-Excess Galaxies in the Lynx–Ursa Major Region" (in en). The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series 121 (2): 445–472. doi:10.1086/313203. ISSN 0067-0049. Bibcode: 1999ApJS..121..445T. 
    18. ↑ NASA, GIANT GALAXY STRING DEFIES MODELS OF HOW UNIVERSE EVOLVED , January 7, 2004
    19. ↑ Palunas, Povilas; Teplitz, Harry I.; Francis, Paul J.; Williger, Gerard M.; Woodgate, Bruce E. (2004). "The Distribution of Lyα-Emitting Galaxies at z = 2.38". The Astrophysical Journal 602 (2): 545–554. doi:10.1086/381145. Bibcode: 2004ApJ...602..545P. 
    20. ↑ Francis, Paul J.; Palunas, Povilas; Teplitz, Harry I.; Williger, Gerard M.; Woodgate, Bruce E. (2004). "The Distribution of Lyα-emitting Galaxies at z =2.38. II. Spectroscopy". The Astrophysical Journal 614 (1): 75–83. doi:10.1086/423417. Bibcode: 2004ApJ...614...75F. 
    21. ↑ Williger, G.M.; Colbert, J.; Teplitz, H.I. et al. (2008). Aschenbach, B.. ed. "Ultraviolet-Bright, High-Redshift ULIRGS" (in en). Relativistic Astrophysics Legacy and Cosmology - Einstein's Legacy (Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer Berlin Heidelberg): 358–362. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-74713-0_83. ISBN 978-3-540-74712-3. Bibcode: 2007ralc.conf..358W. 
    22. ↑ Zitrin, A.; Brosch, N. (2008). "The NGC 672 and 784 galaxy groups: evidence for galaxy formation and growth along a nearby dark matter filament". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 390 (1): 408–420. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2008.13786.x. Bibcode: 2008MNRAS.390..408Z. 
    23. ↑ McQuinn, K.B.W. (2014). "Distance Determinations to SHIELD Galaxies from Hubble Space Telescope Imaging". The Astrophysical Journal 785 (1): 3. doi:10.1088/0004-637x/785/1/3. Bibcode: 2014ApJ...785....3M. 
    24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 Chin. J. Astron. Astrophys. Vol. 6 (2006), No. 1, 35–42 "Super-Large-Scale Structures in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey". http://www.iop.org/EJ/article/1009-9271/6/1/004/chjaa_6_1_004.pdf. 
    25. ↑ Scientific American, vol. 280, no. 6, pp. 30–37 "Mapping the Universe". http://cosmos.phy.tufts.edu/~zirbel/ast21/sciam/MappingUniverse.pdf.  (1.43 MB) 06/1999 Bibcode: 1999SciAm.280f..30L
    26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 26.2 Fairall, A. P.; Paverd, W. R.; Ashley, R. P. (1994). "Unveiling large-scale structures behind the Milky Way: Visualization of Nearby Large-Scale Structures". Astronomical Society of the Pacific Conference Series 67: 21. Bibcode: 1994ASPC...67...21F. 
    27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 27.2 27.3 Fairall, A. P. (August 1995). "Large-scale structures in the distribution of galaxies" (in en). Astrophysics and Space Science 230 (1–2): 225–235. doi:10.1007/BF00658183. ISSN 0004-640X. Bibcode: 1995Ap&SS.230..225F. 
    28. ↑ World Science, Wall of galaxies tugs on ours, astronomers find April 19, 2006
    29. ↑ Tully, R. Brent; Courtois, Hélène; Hoffman, Yehuda; Pomarède, Daniel (2 September 2014). "The Laniakea supercluster of galaxies". Nature 513 (7516): 71–73. 4 September 2014. doi:10.1038/nature13674. PMID 25186900. Bibcode: 2014Natur.513...71T. 
    30. ↑ Thompson, D.; Aftreth, O.; Soifer, B. T. (November 2000). "B3 0003+387: AGN-Marked Large-Scale Structure at Redshift 1.47?". The Astronomical Journal 120 (5): 2331–2337. doi:10.1086/316827. Bibcode: 2000AJ....120.2331T. 
    31. ↑ FermiLab, "Astronomers Find Wall of Galaxies Traversing the Hubble Deep Field", DARPA, Monday, January 24, 2000
    32. ↑ Vanden Berk, Daniel E.; Stoughton, Chris; Crotts, Arlin P. S.; Tytler, David; Kirkman, David (2000). "QSO[CLC]s[/CLC] and Absorption-Line Systems surrounding the Hubble Deep Field". The Astronomical Journal 119 (6): 2571–2582. doi:10.1086/301404. Bibcode: 2000AJ....119.2571V. 
    33. ↑ 33.0 33.1 "Biggest structure in universe: Large quasar group is 4 billion light years across" (in en). https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/01/130111092539.htm. 
    34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 Clowes, Roger G.; Harris, Kathryn A.; Raghunathan, Srinivasan; Campusano, Luis E.; Söchting, Ilona K.; Graham, Matthew J. (March 2013). "A structure in the early Universe at z ∼ 1.3 that exceeds the homogeneity scale of the R-W concordance cosmology" (in en). Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 429 (4): 2910–2916. doi:10.1093/mnras/sts497. ISSN 1365-2966. 
    35. ↑ Yusef-Zadeh, F.; Arendt, R. G.; Wardle, M.; Heywood, I. (1 June 2023). "The Population of the Galactic Center Filaments: Position Angle Distribution Reveals a Degree-scale Collimated Outflow from Sgr A* along the Galactic Plane". The Astrophysical Journal Letters 949 (2): L31. doi:10.3847/2041-8213/acd54b. ISSN 2041-8205. Bibcode: 2023ApJ...949L..31Y. 

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