Scientist image 3-million-light-year-long 'cosmic web' ensnaring 2 galaxies for 1st time

(Left) An image of the sky in the direction of the cosmic web detection (Right) The image shows the diffuse gas (red) contained within the cosmic filament connecting two galaxies (yellow stars), extending across a vast distance of 3 million light-years.

Astronomers have imaged a spectacular thread in the cosmic web, connecting two actively forming galaxies that existed when the universe was just 2 billion years old. Both galaxies at hand are home feeding supermassive black holes.

The cosmic web stretches for an incredible 3 million light-years, making it about 30 times longer than the Milky Way. It is the vast scaffold upon which the structure of the visible universe is formed. Gas had flowed along its filaments, providing galaxies with the raw material needed for star formation and, thus, for their growth.